March 8th Meeting Recap

Hi Moms!

The first Taste of MOPS was a hit for the meeting.  We indulged in many family favorites from appetizers to main courses and last but not least wonderful desserts!!  This meal was the "unhealthy favorites" which will be followed by "healthy favorites" at an upcoming date.

The meeting started off with a recap of the auction night that was held at Shelli's house.  $1,197 was collected at the auction which was enough to send two young mommies from YL to camp!!  Way to go!!!  We were even able to add $129.50 to the total with 3 remaining items that were auctioned off at the end of meeting bringing the new grand total to $1,326.50.

Announcements followed with Melissa up first telling everyone how amazing her Emmaus Walk was.  She mentioned the next date is May 5th if you would like to participate.  Please contact Melissa for more details.

Leah was up next and introduced baby Reese whose mommy is Meredith Bowman.  Meredith looked great and so did her two week old bundle of joy!!  Leah thanked the moms who signed up to bring food over for Meredith and her family.

Erin was next letting everyone know that volunteers for childcare are definitely needed for MOPS meetings.  People are asked to volunteer first, but some salary would be paid if requested.  Please contact Kim Ripley (kimr@cumcsl.org) with questions.

Kim Ripley was the speaker at today's meeting.  She has been at Christ United Methodist Church for 20 years and she is the Assistant Director of Children's Ministries and the Director of Nursery.   Kim attended massage therapy school after her children had grown up and graduated and went on to learn more about infant massage.

Kim gave us a demonstration of a massage that you could do on your children maybe before bedtime for relaxation.  There are several techniques that can be used while massaging your child including kneading, thumb massaging, rubbing shoulders and muscles, etc.  Kim mentioned that you should always ask if they would like a massage before beginning.  If they say no, do not proceed.
Kim also read off several stories regarding how important touch is for an infant and child.  Children and infants have a strong need for physical touch.  She mentioned to carry your child/infant with you as much as possible and to not use strollers unless absolutely needed.  Kim also went through a nice massage technique that we were able to practice on with friends from the table.  She handed out notes from her meeting with techniques and fun stories to incorporate into your massages.

Cintia was up next with prayers and praises and then closed us out with an awesome prayer!!  Have a safe and wonderful Spring Break and we will see everyone in a couple of weeks!