Great Gifts Galore at Greatwood

How's that for alliteration?! Love it!

Tis the season for Fall Craft Shows. Dickinson Elementary School in Greatwood is hoasting the Great Gifts Galore on Saturday, October 29th from 9am to 3pm.

I went to this show last year and it's really great. The admission is free, strollers are welcome and they're offering breakfast and lunch items so you won't have to drop after you shop!

Some of the items available include baby and kids items, home and yard decor, jewerly, Women's clothing, bags and accessories, and food and kitchen items.

Hope to see everyone there!

Recap of the October 7th Meeting

The meeting started off with everyone watching the "Operation Christmas Child" video while eating breakfast. "Operation Christmas Child" is our biggest Missions project this year. The program involves filling shoe boxes with small toys, school supplies, hygiene items, etc. for needy children all around the world. Shelli LeBret has the boxes for each family to pick up if they are interested in participating. Shelli also has brochures that include helpful instructions on what to pack in the boxes, labels for whether the box is for a girl or boy, and an envelope for shipping donations. Every participant is asked to donate $7 per shoebox to cover shipping expenses. The filled shoe boxes will be collected at the November 18th meeting. For more information, go to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Sonya Dias announced that the Care Team is in need of meals for the Papageorgiou family starting on November 7th. Congrats to Jenny on her new addition!

Kelly Otero spoke about our upcoming trip to Dewberry Farms on Tuesday, October 18th. The deadline to pay for your tickets is October 11th. The cost is $6 per person (ages 2 and up). Children younger than 2 are admitted for free. There will be a group that will meet at CUMC at 9am to caravan to Dewberry Farms together. If you would rather not meet for the caravan, plan to be there by 10am since you will need to get your wristband from Kelly before going in. We are scheduled to have a picnic lunch at 12pm. For more information, go to http://www.dewberryfarm.com. Hope to see you there!

Missy reminded us that the Thirty-One product fundraiser is still going on throughout the month of October. MOPS will receive 10% of the revenue for the items placed during this time. MOPS will also receive $15 for anyone who commits to hosting a Thirty-One party of their own. Additionally, MOPS will receive the hostess benefit, which will be used toward purchasing birthday gifts for the year. There is an ongoing special: if you spend $31, you can purchase an organizer tote for $7. All items will be in well before the Christmas holiday. Happy shopping!

Erin Reed is collecting Christmas cards to send to soldiers currently serving overseas. Many of us had an opportunity to fill out a card at the meeting. Please show your support for our wonderful soldiers!

Kim Garnett reminded everyone about the St. Catherine's Pumpkin Patch that will run from now until the end of October. The pumpkin patch will be open daily from 10am-7pm. St. Catherine of Sienna is located at 4747 Sienna Parkway. The pumpkin patch is a lot of fun for the kiddos and a GREAT place to take fall photos! The proceeds will support St. Catherine of Sienna Episcopal School. For more information, go to https://sites.google.com/site/stcatherineofsiennaschool.

Lauren Merkel reminded all new MOPS to pick up their initial mug if they haven't already done so!

Congratulations to Constance Ritter who won the drawing for the day and scored a copy of God's Devotional Book for Women.

Lauren Helms led a very thought-provoking prayer that started with a scripture reading from Mt 11:28-30. She made us ponder how there is no logic to the mystery of goodness and encouraged us to remember to laugh at ourselves from time to time.

We held the costume exchange at the meeting. Several moms were able to recycle their children's old costumes and some were able to pick up new ones. Missy donated all of the leftover costumes to the East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry.

Finally, we concluded the meeting with Liz Brown leading us in a craft. We decorated backpacks and loaded them with socks, books, and a water bottle koozie for hospitalized older kids and tweens. Half of the backpacks will be donated to Texas Children's Hospital and the other half to the Fort Bend Rainbow Room. What a fun and creative way to brighten a child's day!

Our next meeting is on October 21st --see you all there!

PJ Party Perfection!

Tonight was the MOPS annual PJ Party and much fun was had by all! Everyone showed up in their comfiest pajamas and we chatted over an incredible spread of food. We then did an ice breaker and got to know a few of our fellow MOPS a little better. Throughout the evening, we browsed selections from Thirty-One Gifts and Scentsy. You can place an order with Thirty-One Gifts throughout the month of October and the inventory will be in well before Christmas. We ended the evening with a rousing game of Bunco. It was a great evening with a great group of ladies!

And...how cute are we in our pjs???

September 30th MOPS Meeting Review

Today we had our 2nd MOPS meeting, and what a nice way to spend a Friday morning. Where else do we get to socialize with other moms, drink coffee and stuff our faces with yummy brunch goodies - all while not having to chase our little darlings around? Who would pass up this opportunity? ...And I must not forget the wonderful opportunity we had today to get to know a lot of other MOPS moms during the 3 min speed dating experience. Wow, what a whirlwind. It was a fantastic way to begin this new year of MOPS by getting to know each other a little better, and a fun way to make some new friends as well.

Also today Lauran Helms led a great devotional about the different personalities of Martha and Mary and how each of us can identify with one of them in how we respond to Jesus' calling.

Some of today's announcements included:

- Slumber Party tomorrow night (Sat, Oct 1) at the church

- Oct 18th (Tues) outing to Dewberry Farms ($6 each for everyone over 3); sign up at the next MOPS meeting (Oct 7th) if you haven't already

- Chess table brings food for the Oct 7th meeting

Have a great weekend.

Steering Interview, Vol 5

Our next Steering Member to interview is Lauran Helms.

Cori:What are your kids and husband's names?
Lauran: Dwight Helms (aka Hotty Helms), Hadleigh and McKinley

Cori: What's your steering position this year? How long have you been in MOPS?
Lauran: Prayer Coordinator. This will be my 4th year in MOPS. My parting gift will hopefully be a retirement plan.

Cori: What about your favorite book? Movie? Song?
Lauran: My favorite book is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I have so many favorite movies--probably Grosse Pointe Blanke with John Cusack, Minnie Driver and Dan Aykroyd. It's a pretty twisted movie, but it takes me back to my much younger years. I LOVE music, so it's hard to say what my favorite song is. Right now, I'm replaying "Move" by MercyMe. "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 is a classic. And anything by Casting Crowns is fabulous!


Cori: What's your favorite thing to do when you have three hours to yourself?
Lauran:If I have 3 hours to myself, I will probably throw in a load of laundry and load or unload the dishwasher (I know--sad.). But, then I'll read a book and scripture or Bible study, catch up on an episode of "Pretty Little Liars" from ABC Family, call my mom, and catch up on email.

Cori:Favorite thing to do with your kids?
Lauran: We love to hang out in the pool, have races and dive for plastic animals, and listen and pool dance to music (our neighbors are mortified, I'm sure.).

Steering Interview, Vol 4.

Our next new member of the steering committee is Kelly Otero

Cori: Tell us your name, husband's name, kids' names?
Kelly: Husband Patrick, Daughters Alexis (5) and Anna (2)


Cori: What's your steering position this year? How long have you been in MOPS?
Kelly: My steering position is Fellowship. I am in charge of fun activities for Mops members and their kiddos! Also, celebrating birthdays and new births. Last year was my first year in MOPS and this year is my first year on steering.

Cori: What about your favorite book? Movie? Song?
Kelly: My all time favorite books are Lord of The Rings and Pride and Prejudice. I've read both multiple times! (odd combo I know, but I am always reading and read all different genres!) Currently I am rereading Harry Potter, in the middle of Smokin Seventeen/ Stephanie Plum and starting World Without End by Ken Follett.


Cori: What's your favorite thing to do when you have three hours to yourself?
Kelly:My favorite thing to do when I have three hours to myself. (which never, EVER happens!) would be to relax on a beach somewhere! I mean really, it's never going to happen so I might as well dream big!

Cori:Favorite thing to do with your kids?
Kelly:My favorite thing to do with my kids is just about anything! We spend part of our day every day dancing. I love reading with them. We like to swim, go feed the ducks, watch movies and I love when they put on dress up clothes and do shows for me. (we are VERY girly in our house!)

Steering interview vol. 3

Our next steering member I'd like to interview is Kim Garnett.



Cori: Tell us your name, husband's name, kids' names?
Kim: Husband John, Kids Will & Claire


Cori: What's your steering position this year? How long have you been in MOPS?
Kim: Membership, this is my 2nd year.

Cori: What about your favorite book? Movie? Song?
Kim: I have lots of favorite books, but I always return to "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff in Love". It's a great book to go to when you've had an argument with your husband and you're feeling bad about it. There's ALWAYS a short chapter on our current situation and how to deal with it lovingly (and who should apologize!!) :)

Movie: Hands down, Hope Floats. All time favorite.

Song: Anything playing on the BPM dance music channel on my XM radio. I can't get enough of high-energy music (with a tune of course - can't do the heavy trance stuff!), and now I have my twins hooked on it too! We don't do "toddler tunes" in my car :)

Cori: What's your favorite thing to do when you have three hours to yourself?
Kim:Create something!! I always have a few crafts going that involve either beading, paper, wood or Mod Podge (or all of the above). I've also gotten into bread-making recently, and made a killer Ciabatta last week!


Cori:Favorite thing to do with your kids?
Kim:When my husband is traveling, I like to take the kids to a restaurant by myself. They usually behave and we have a great time doing whatever we want while daddy's gone.

Steering Interviews

Our next steering member I'd like to introduce you to is Shelli LeBret.

She's married to Jim Sledzik, mom to Alex, Ben & Jackson.

Cori: What's your steering positon and how long have you been in MOPS?

Shelli: I'm the Missions Coordinator and I've been in MOPS for one year.

Cori: What are your favorite books, movie and song?

Shelli: Favorite Book - Same Kind of Different as Me, Ron Hall & Denver Moore (most recent favorite book)
Favorite Movie- Grease (all time favorite)
Favorite Song- Rolling in the Deep, Adele (current favorite)

Cori: If you're lucky enough to get three hours to yourself, what would you do?

Shelli: If I get three hours to myself with nothing to do I would get a pedicure, read a book, or watch Hoarders and Intervention.

Cori: And what about with your kids? What's your favorite thing to do with them?

Shelli: We love to travel with our kids (well we don't love the actual travel part, but love the destinations!) Our favorite thing to do is ski with them.

Thanks Shelli! We're excited about the new year!

Meet the Steering Team!

I wanted to take a minute to introduce everyone to the 2011-2012 Steering Team.

First up is my new favorite person, someone who can make me laugh out loud with just a few words, Liz Brown!

Cori: Hey Liz Brown. What are your kids' and husband's names?

Liz: I'm married to Stanton. My kids are "Drama Queen" Audrey (4), "Hot Mess" Alyssa (19 months)

Cori: What's your steering position? How long have you been in MOPS?

Liz: MOPS crafts gal - one semester

Cori: Only one semester?! What a fast learner you are! What's your favorite movie? Favorite Book? Favorite song?

Liz: Book: Can a year's worth of People Magazine count as a book??
Movie: When Harry Met Sally
Song: I THOUGHT it was "Pumped Up Kicks" until I just recently found out that song is about killing people, so I'm currently searching for a new one!

Cori: What's your favorite thing to do when you have three hours to yourself?

Liz: So sad - but I usually run to McDs for an iced tea then go meander Hobby Lobby or Target. Blissfully slow and not annoyed!

Cori: What about your favorite thing to do with your kids?

Liz: My favorite place with the kids is Wonder Wild in the heights. It's an indoor play area with a trampoline in the back and a blow-up slide in the front. They also have a true "toddler" area with a ball pit and other goodies. Both girls run out all their energy and I get some MAJOR people watching in, which is so fun! Watching other moms with their kids is so entertaining! Love!

Things to do with kids this summer

Ya'll. It's summer. That time of year that all kids eagerly look forward to...and parents dread.


If you're anything like me, by now you're looking for things to do with your kids so they stop driving you nuts. I find that if I plan just one thing every day, I can muddle my way through the rest of the day. I'm not talking about sending Small Fry off somewhere once a day (although wouldn't that be nice?!). I mean planning to do one thing together once a day.

It's hard. I know. And most days we spend a LOT of time in front of movies. But, I have a list of things I'd like to do with Small Fry. I thought I'd share it here and if you have any other suggestions, PLEASE leave a comment.


1. Story Time at the library - The Fort Bend Library system has storytime at least once a week at every branch. It usually lasts about an hour and includes singing songs, listening to books, watching a short film and making a craft. Check out the library website to see the monthy calander for each branch.

2. Playing with the computers/reading books at the library - Claire loves sitting at the computers and playing games. She could play for an hour at least. I love sitting next to her and reading while she plays. We usually then find a book to take home.


3. Make and paint with glimmer paint - I'm crafty. That means Claire thinks she's crafty too. Which it totally fine with me, but I don't like spending money on kids crafts supplies. Disney Family Fun solves that problem with homemade glimmer paint. I had all those ingrediants in my pantry and only had to get bottles for her to paint with. Easy, and cheap!

4. Make stamps - How easy is this? I have hundredes of those little foam stickers, and Claire LOVES to use stamps.

5. Make chalk using water and cornstarch - Mix equal parts cornstarch and water into an old muffin tin. Add food coloring and mix. Then, use foam brushes to paint on the sidewalk (or yourself!).
6. See a movie. Cinemark in Rosenberg, or Edwards MarqE on I-10 are two options. We practically lived in the theater last summer. Hey, the movies are $1 each, and it's always cold there. I get Claire a Kid-pack for $5 which includes popcorn, a drink and candy (which she doesn't eat), and I pack a bottle of water for me. Sure, it's loud in there (there's always a lot of rustling and talking and babies crying), but Claire got to see The Wizard of Oz today.









7. Better than movies? Take the kids to see a play at the Fort Bend Theater. The shows aren't too long for kiddos (usually about an hour) and I think it's so important to teach kids about theater. Yes, that may be because my husband was a HUGE theater nerd in high school. Either way, the prices are a little higher than the movies, and the shows aren't as frequent, but it's a great time.


8. Indoor playgrounds are my best friends. Sugar Creek Baptist Church (13333 SW Freeway)has a great one, as does Memorial City Mall. Sugar Creek is close and it opens early (around 8, I think), which works out really well since Claire gets up super early. She's not a fan of playing at these places by herself, but she's usually good for at least an hour. Plus, it's free! Memorial City Mall has a really good playground too, and it's far enough away from the food and carosal that she doesn't even know that's an option.


9. Go Ice Skating. Again, super cold at the ice rink in Sugar Land. It's $10 for a two hour free skate, which it a little steep, but maybe this is how you treat your kids after a week of cleaning up their room. There's also a rink at Memorial City Mall.


10. Go Rollar Skating. Am I the only one who used to rollar skate on friday nights when I was a kid? This is before rollar blades - I'm talking about 4 wheels. We played games like Limbo, 4 corners and Shoot The Duck. I thought I was so cool when I became old enough to be dropped off by myself. Dairy Ashford has a toddler skate for kids under 7. Pay $5, and bring a wheeled "vehicle" (but no bikes) and kids can go nuts. Awesome.


11. Bounce. Drive on down to my hood near the 'Shire and hit up Bounce U for open bounce. There's not a lot of information on the website, but I think I remember that you call the location, see if there's open bounce (which they have if there's no parties), pay $7 and let your kids go nuts. Claire LOVES the bounce houses, and she's usually pretty good by herself. The last time we went, she had the whole place to herself.


12. Feeling crafty? Check out One Pretty Thing for a whole list of crafts to do with kids. My favorite? The homemade watercolors.

Any other ideas? Let me know!

2011 - 2012 Meeting Dates

Hey ladies! I hope everyone is having a great summer. I wanted to take a minute and post our meeting dates for next year. I'm also going to try to figure out how to have these on the sidebar. That way if you can't remember the dates, you can come check them out!

Interview with a Mom

1. What's the name of your business?

Liz's Latest

2. What do you sell?

Personalized party decor - mainly cupcake toppers and name banners - but I can do whatever we can brainstorm! I've made party hats, party favors, recycled crayons, and coordinating chocolate bars. I'm tackling photo cubes next week for a 1st birthday party!

3. What made you start your own business?

I was ordering a lot of stuff for my girls' birthdays, and every time something came, I thought to myself, "I could do that." I started crafting when my second child had colic and I was miserable and stuck in this house! Modge Podge has a surprisingly calming effect! The more I did, the more I enjoyed it! Plus, my oldest daughter is incredibly crafty, so it gives us time to just sit and work together!

4. What's your favorite part of owning your own business?

Being creative and having an actual "to do" list! I LOVE to check something off a list! I like to feel like I accomplished something on any particular day and since my house never stayed tidied up, the clothes never stayed clean, and the food never stayed uneaten, I needed an outlet!! Starting this little business has helped my Type-A-ness immensely!

5. What's your favorite product?

My favorite thing is all the toppers. I add photos, sayings, embellishments - for no extra charge. They really make a party even more special, and it is SO MUCH cheaper than purchasing a custom cake! You could make the cupcakes yourself, or get Kroger to make you some (at $0.54 a cupcake - it's a deal!) then you plop in one of these toppers. I also just started doing some for sporting events and they are a huge hit!

I can do any character, show, etc. and I also can do any team, from professional to your son's little league team. A big favorite is the "Thank you" toppers that I am in the process of making for the teachers. My husband took them to work for his team members - it's such an easy way to show you care!

6. Do you have any promotions going on now?

I usually charge $14 per dozen, but make an order by April 1st, I'll do it for $12!

Thanks Liz, for the interview. If anyone is interested in these products, email Liz at LizBrown2002@hotmail.com

[cori]

Meeting Recap 25 Feb 11

I hope everyone got to know something new about someone at the last meeting. Even though it gets loud and I end up without a voice after, I really like Mops Speed Dating. I always get to meet someone that I haven't before. What was your favorite question? What did you learn?

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Friday, Charlotte talked about anger. She said, "We are human. The world is not perfect." Matthew 22: 37-38, James 1: 19-20, Psalms 86: 15. All these verses talk about being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. It's something that I have to work on every day.

Missy mentioned a new fundraiser we're going to start in April - 31. I'm super excited about it. Check out the online catalogue and add some great products into your April budget!

Kim mentioned that her multiples group is holding a garage sale this weekend, March 5th from 8am - 11am. The sale will be held at Westbury United Methodist Church (5200 Willowbend).

I also wanted to link to a blog post that our very own Stasi McAteer wrote. It's all about children and church and I think it's worth a read:

Here it is.

That's all for this week. Don't forget the party at Jill's on the 8th. She'll send out a reminder soon, I'm sure.

Have a great week!

[cori]

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

Recently I've been amused by the things my kids say...

When they've locked their car door and I ask them to unlock it (the driver door is unlocked, don't worry!), I hear " I did it for a reason!!"

When they've watched a little too much of PBS's Sid the Science Kid, I hear "Mom! I took my shoes off in the name of science!!"

But today, I hit the moment I was hoping would never happen. As a mom, I've always wished that my children would learn whispering and empathy before they learned to ask about everything, but I believe that's not the case for any child. We had gone to HEB for our weekly shopping trip (you know, the usual meat, fruit and four gallons of milk trip), and we were checking out. The man sacking our groceries is frequently working, and is extremely friendly. The only thing of note, is that he only has one hand. He is actually quite talented at working with both his right and and his left handless arm, and I'm always in awe of his dexterity (you see where this is going...)

I asked the man if he would give the kids an HEB sticker (the ones used for large items that aren't bagged) since I forgot to print them extra produce stickers and "price them" like I usually do. Naturally, he uses the handed arm and the handless one with ease and gives each kid a green sticker. I make sure the kids use their good manners and thank him, and head off with my basket of groceries. As were rounding the end of the checkout counter, behind the nice man, Claire asks in what is quite possibly her loudest speaking voice, "Why that man doesn't have a hand?"

I answered "I don't know" fairly quietly, so she asked again. I'm sure the man hears that all the time, and I love the innocence of my children, but I don't look forward to the rest of these uncomfortable encounters!

Anyone else have an embarrassing story to share along these lines?

~Kim

MOPS LOVE MEET

Love was in the air for this MOPS session held on Feb 11^th.

The Care Team announced we have 5 rockin' rollin' babies born and a lot more coming up. Dinners are always welcome for our tired moms. If meals can be delivered to their homes GREAT, if not please let the care team know and a meeting point can always be arranged.

Finance: Dues of $50 due for this semester. Please make checks payable to CUMC.

Fellowship: Mamma Mia is coming up and for those that signed up and have not paid $47 is due.

Prayer Devotional: Charlotte lead us with an inspired LOVE theme reading from 1 Corinthians 13 where the Word reminds us Love is patient and Love is kind. Charlotte shared the Hebrew word for love which is 'Ahava'

Family Fellowship: Gymtex on Sunday 2/20 from 4pm-5pm. For groups less than 14 it will be $8 and for more than 14 will be $7. Afterward everyone is invited to Skeeters for dinner. Spread the word, if you have a meal and at check out mention “MOPS” 20% will be donated back.

Crawfish Broil April 9^th at Susan Bourgeois house at 4pm. Details to follow.

Mommy Saver Cards – all unsold cards are due back. Any cards that were sold the funds are due by next meeting.

Hospitality: Please email your “Moms Favorite Things” to Lauren Merkel.

Publicity: We are in the process of interviewing moms with their own businesses. If you run your own business email Cory.

We listened to Nicole Cole a leading speaker on how to put that spark back in your marriage and have fun with it. She shared ideas from recreating date night at home with candles, rose petals and removing ALL pictures of your little angels from your bedroom, to changing ones attitude! She gave a lot of good ideas as well as adding humor.

Thanks to Chemistry for being the hosting table. Our next meeting is Feb 25^th. Geology will be hosting.

Meeting Recap 7 Jan

Today's meeting was a lifesaver for me!

Not only did Charlotte remind us that it's ok to have foreign substances in our hair, but Addie's mom/Cori's MIL Alice led us through how to play with our kids.

First of all, many thanks to Charlotte for her devotional today. Her prayers for our friends and loved ones was especially meaningful to me today, and I hope to all of you as well. Here are the verses she included:
Romans 12:2

Phil 4:8

Psalms 27: 4-8

As for playing with our kids, we learned a great deal about how to get them messy! And not to worry about it afterwards (that's the part I need to get better at!). After each table played with soap, cornstarch (yea for easy cleanup!), water, and an electric skillet, we all went home with recipes for disaster - OOPS! I mean "messy fun" :)

She also introduced us to several books that add a lot of fun and humor to the act of reading to our kids, and teach valuable lessons that we might otherwise be embarrassed to teach:
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Everyone Poops
The Gas We Pass
The Holes in Your Nose
The Soles of Your Feet
All About Scabs
Your Belly Button
The Paper Bag Princess

Bev Bos, one of Alice's child development mentors (or recipient of her self-proclaimed stalking!) has a website with lots more good information: www.bevbos.com

As the meeting was coming to a close, Alice threw some more ideas at us - using milk tops for magnets or bingo, using a flyswatter in a pan of bubble solution, and barefoot sensory walks with spaghetti, rice, beans, shaving cream, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Here are pictures of the fun we had!
Goop:

Rubbings:













Rubber Band Stamping:













Rainbow Stew in the Electric Skillet:













Paint:


















Toothpaste:













Soap:













Water:













Books!













See you next time!
-Kim

Christmas is over, and I couldn't be happier.

Look, I love Christmas as much as the next girl. Actually, that's not completely true. I'm not much of a fan of the blow-up yard art (much to my husband's chagrin), or the kitchy decorations (much to my Mother-in-law's chagrin). But I like the idea of Christmas.

That being said, I'm so super glad Christmas is over. The stress, the negative balance in my bank account, the cookies that are just asking to be eaten, the feeling that I HAVE to keep my house clean so relatives don't think I live in squalor. It's all a little much.

So you can imagine my joy when I pushed loveingly shoved ushered JR out the door on Tuesday and strapped Claire into the carseat for the ride to school. I had the whole house to myself! Just me, and the piles of laundry, the wrapping paper that still hadn't made it out to the trashcan, the neverending dirty dishes in the sink (even though the dishwasher is dirty, OMG WHY can't you just LOOK to see if they're CLEAN or DIRTY before you just THROW THEM IN THE SINK?!?! Ahem. But I digress).

I had a few hours to myself. I could clean how I wanted. I could crank up Vampire Weekend and jam. I would get SO much done.

Yeah, or I could watch 4 hours of Hoarders (seriously. Have you seen this show? Totally addicting.) and walk around Walmart for an hour and half with a loaf a bread and Beauty and the Beast.

So I didn't get much done on my first day back. But you know what? I don't care. I was alone. Blissfully alone. And sometimes? That's better than being productive.

. . .

Don't forget our meeting tomorrow. This one's going to be good. My lovely, talented, crazy-for-blow-up lawn decorations Mother-in-law will be here to talk about how to play with your kids. I'm looking forward to it.

See everyone tomorrow! Happy New Year!

[cori]