Recap of November 15th Meeting

Hello ladies!

November 15th was another fabulous meeting.  Thank you so much to the blue table for the amazing breakfast!

Renata Smith and Cintia Listenbee started the meeting with their top 10 recaps from MOMcon 2013.  If you missed it, here they are:

1. What keeps you feeling like a masterpiece?  Positive thinking and focusing on the positive, not the mess (beautiful as it may be!) http://www.handsfreemama.com/2013/11/17/cleaning-up-the-heart-break/
2. Get organized and never organize alone.
3. Kathi Lipp's (www.kathilipp.com) organizational tips-- "The only difference between a project and a crisis is time!"

1. Work backwards--care for your future self.
2. Apply pressure when needed-start with the place that makes you crazy.
3. Wait for a path to appear.
4. Never organize alone.
5. Treat your home like a grown-up kindergarten room-establish a routine of where things go.
6. 3 boxes, 2 bags: green-give away, purple-put back, orange-other rooms, paper bag-recycling, trash bag-trash.
7. Make a decision, even if it's wrong. Clutter is indecision.
8. It's your house, you make the rules.

4. Writing and sharing stories--telling stories is more effective than preaching.
5. Let jealousy be your teacher-make connections vs. comparisons.
6. Save on your grocery bill! http://www.simplycintia.com/2013/10/how-to-save-money-on-your-grocery-bill.html
7. Renata attended a hospitality workshop where she learned about a "Wrap & Relax" party where friends gather to wrap presents and visit.  We all LOVED this idea, so mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 10th at 7pm.  We will meet at Cori Atkins's house (4930 Moss Run Dr., Missouri City, TX 77459).  Bring your gifts, wrapping paper and paraphernalia, and beverage of choice!
8. Cintia attended a session on MOPS essentials.  Find out more about how MOPS started at www.mops.org.
9. How to eliminate your energy drainers (the 5 D's):

1. Do it--do only what you can do.
2. Delegate
3. Dump it
4. Detach
5. Discern-think about what God wants you to do. 

10. Who puts life into living for you? Finding things that feed your soul outside motherhood.
http://momastery.com/blog/2013/11/22/little-girls-get-get-eat/

Thanks to Cintia and Renata for the fantastic recap!  If MOMcon sounds like fun (and trust me, it IS), next year's is October 2-4 in Louisville, KY.  Registration opens in January! http://www.mops.org/momcon

 

 

Thank you to all who participated in Operation Christmas Child! Thank you to Amanda Gates for dropping off our boxes!

 

In January, we will have a paramedic come and speak with us about common issues first responders are faced with.  He will NOT be able to dispense specific medical advice.  Cori Atkins is organizing a group CPR/First Aid class at CUMC for us to take prior to his visit.  Stay tuned for more info!!!

 

If you are participating in Secret Sisters and have not received anything from your sister yet, please contact Heather Lovell (llovells@earthlink.net).

 

Send your family/kid pictures to Kathie Kelly for the Christmas meeting!  kathiekelly@hotmail.com

 

Thank you to all who came to the Couple's Social--it was TONS of fun!

 

Thank you to Amanda Gates and all who brought food and served at the Young Lives Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a great success!

 

The rest of our meeting was spent under the careful tutelage of Meg Ruffing as we made our Christmas wreaths!

 

 

At the end of our meeting, Kathleen Randall shared a recent find that she discovered about how to have a more simple and mindful holiday.  The book is Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas by Bill McKibben. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Dollar-Holiday-Joyful-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00AK9ISCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385138955&sr=8-1&keywords=hundred+dollar+holiday

 

 

Our next meeting is December 6th.  This is our Christmas by Candlelight meeting and it is very special.  We will be meeting upstairs in room 210/211.  Feel free to dress up since this is a special meeting.  The breakfast will be catered and we will have a very special guest.  You don't want to miss it!

 

 

Y'all, we have some SERIOUS talent!

 





 

 



An interview with Addie. No really, it's real. Ok, it's not, but it could be!

The curtain opens with Addie on the phone.

Addie: And that's why nothing gets done around here. Too many dance breaks!

Cori walks in with a notebook and pen. Addie hangs up the phone.

Cori: Alright lady, tell me your secrets. How do you possibly juggle two kids, a goofball husband, writing a book, being indispensable in MOPS, and everything to do around here and still have time to look so beautiful?

Addie: Well, it's easy. I'm extremely organized. It's the only way things get done! I have a cleaning schedule, I plan my meals every week and clip coupons, everything has a place and I have a place for everything.

Cori: We can all learn from you, Addie! You're so smart!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, so the interview didn't exactly go like that. Are you surprised? Here's the real one:

Addie: Why do you want to interview me?! My house is a mess, I haven't washed my hair, and I'm pretty sure Lily's running around the house in a felt vest and her unmentionables. I'm not exactly the poster child for organization.

Cori: That's true. Maybe I should re-think this.

Addie: Hey!

Cori: No, I wanted to interview you because you've taken what Jennifer taught you and applied it to your own life. No household has the same demands, so you figured out what you needed help with. What was the thing you used the most from last year?

Addie: The meal chart, definitely. Lily loves to check it every afternoon to find out what we're having for dinner.

Cori: So you have to stick to the chart? What if you decide that you don't FEEL like making spaghetti again and want to order pizza, but the chart still says spaghetti?

Addie: I just have to switch it before she sees.

Cori: I can just hear you, "No Lily, you must be mistaken. Tuesday was ALWAYS pizza. It never said spaghetti. Maybe we need to work on your reading comprehension."

Addie: Something like that.

Cori: What projects did you do this year?

Addie: I did the Mood Board. Lily's going to be on the sad face today because apparently I'm not as cool or pretty or funny as Mrs. Jenny (ed note: that would be Jenny Harrison, the coolest, prettiest, funniest mom in the world, apparently) but whateves.

Cori: You don't actually say "Whateves" in conversation, do you?

Addie: Nope. Just in this pretend interview.

Cori: That's what I thought. What other projects did people at your table do? Which ones are you going to use?

Addie: I like the list of things that the kids need to do in the morning. I'm adding "Tell my mom how cool and pretty and funny she is" to it, but everything else looks good. What about you?

Cori: I'm doing the meal chart, and the mood board too. Claire has no interest in going potty on the actual potty (just behind the couch), so I'm waiting on that. And I'm using the one about when Daddy's getting back from his trip. Hey, who's doing this interview anyway?

Addie: Sorry.

Cori: It's ok. Thanks for talking with me. I'm sure we'll talk for real in a few minutes.

Addie: My pleasure.

fin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What was your favorite organizational project from last year? And which one do you think you'll use the most from this year?

Are there any others that weren't shown at the meeting that you'll use? And, most importantly, how can I get my kid to stop pooping behind the couch?

[cori]