*~*Mom of the Month Spotlight*~*

Welcome to our new MOPS feature, the Mom of the Month Spotlight! Each month, we'll be randomly selecting one of our group's members to be in the spotlight. The chosen mom will then have her picture taken and be given a brief list of questions to answer. These questions may be serious or funny, but you can guarantee that whichever way they go you're going to learn something new about one of your fellow group moms when the interview is posted here on our new Christian Chapel MOPS blog.

And without further ado, I bring to you the very first installment of...

Mom of the Month Spotlight w/special guest Dixie Cooper!

1. What is your favorite restaurant? Carrabas

2. Do you have any hobbies? If so, what? Softball; our team is called the Monkey Wrenchers.

3. What is your favorite book? I go to the library once a week, but always up with magazines. :P

4. What would you do if you weren't a mom? I'd work outside the home in marketing or management.

5. What is your favorite quote or Bible verse? "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

6. If money was no option, where would you go on your dream vacation? Definitely beaches!

7. What is your favorite meal to make? Tacos

8. Do you have a favorite board game? If so, what? Yes, Monopoly. I also like playing all sorts of card games.

9. What is your favorite children's book that you enjoy reading to your child(ren) over and over again? the Winnie the Pooh books

10. What is one piece of advice you would want to share with a new mom? Let friends and family help take care of you and your own new family.

Thanks so much to Dixie for taking the time to share a little bit more about herself with us through this spotlight interview. It was fun getting learn more about you! And to everyone else, be prepared... You never know when you might be our next Mom of the Month. ;)

Fun & Free Kids Activities

I've heard for several years about the Kids' Workshops offered at Home Depot and the Kids' Clinics at Lowes, but until only recently I never really thought much about going. About a week ago I saw someone post online about the upcoming Build and Grow Clinic for Kids' at Lowes, and I decided there was no better time than now to check it out. I signed up, and today the girls and I went for the first time. It was a blast!

So, if you're in the market for something fun and free to do with your kiddo, be sure to keep these two options in mind. Both programs recommend the child be around the age of 5-12, but as long as you or dad can help your child I see no reason why a 3-yr old couldn't participate too. Joc is 3, turning 4 the end of October, and she did a great job.

Home Depot's Kids' Workshops are offered the 1st Saturday of each month. The next two scheduled dates are October 3 (Project: Firehouse Bank) and November 7 (Project: Tile Trivet). Show up to your local Home Depot between the hours of 9am and 12p to get involved. For more info, visit the Home Depot Kid's Workshop webpage.

Lowes' Free Kids' Clinics are offered the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. The next two scheduled dates are September 26 (Project: Firetruck) and October 10 (Project: Ball Toss Game). For this project participants must pre-register online as each clinic is only open to the first 50 registered kids. For more info or to register, visit the Lowe's Build and Grow webpage.

Come One, Come All... A New MOPS Session Starts This Fall!

The MOPS Experience equips women for the joys and challenges of their lives as moms. One key factor in the MOPS Experience is the relationships built within a group. Time and time again, MOPS moms share that the friends they make in MOPS are significant for this season of their life and on into their future. God created us for relationship! It’s one of the defining parts of being human.

However, when you become a mom, all your relationships change. It’s like you have landed on a different planet–Planet Mom–and the relationships on Planet Mom don’t look like the ones on your previous planet. Your relationship with yourself is different–you are a mom! Your relationship with your husband, girlfriends, extended family, community and God have all changed. Many of these changes are positive, some are not. Even positive change requires adjustments on your part.

During the 2009-10 MOPS year, we will explore how to thrive in relationships Together on Planet Mom.