Leadership

I hope you moms out there have been finding the courage to "Be You, Bravely" this year with us.  It has been an amazing year and we are finishing strong with some really wonderful speakers and events.  Our big project in the works right now is our "spring pictures." More details coming soon so be on the lookout.

At the last meeting, we asked you to start thinking and praying about taking on a leadership role with Conway MOPS. If you are interested, email us at MOPSConway@gmail.com or message us on facebook at Conway MOPS. This is a great opportunity to give back to the ministry as well as make life-long friendships with other moms. Steering meets outside of regular meetings and events and plans the year out. Don't miss this chance to serve!

Another way to get more involved with MOPS is to attend convention.  It will be held in Indianapolis, IN Sept. 17-19, 2015.  Next years theme should be announced April 1st.

Have a wonderful spring break!  See you on the 30th!

-Lindsay

MOPS Shop Success!

A huge "thank you" to everyone that came out, supported and prayed for the MOPS Shop.  It was a huge success! We had over 30 vendors (listed below). Please be sure and support those that have supported Conway MOPS. Fundraisers like this one, is what allows for Conway MOPS to reach the mothers of preschoolers in the area. Fellowship of this type that give support to women through such a difficult stage in life is vital.

Big "thanks" also goes to Space Walk of Conway who were generous enough to donate a wonderful inflatable for the event. Be sure to check them out when planning your next party!

Vendors:
Space Walk of Conway
Avon
Magical Vacations
Tupperware
Origami Owl
Premier Designs
Decked Out
Nana Sue Soap
UsBorne Books & More
The Painted Pixie
LuluAnns
Mary Kay
Thirty-One
Tastefully Simple
Lemongrass Organic
Mary & Martha
Papa Joe's
Scentsy
Jamberry
Amway
Rodan and Fields
Beadoodle
Younique
Kerina's Krocet
Pampered Chef
RK Collections
Meg's Photos
PartyLite
Norwex
Conway MOPS
And our host church, University Church of Christ

MOPS Shop

We are excited to announce our MOPS Shop event this year.  It will be held on December 13, 2014 from 9am-3pm.  Lots of wonderful vendors will be there for this one-stop shopping.  Did I mention childcare will be available? Interested in being a vendor? Volunteer? MOPS mom?  Check out the info below!

To be a vendor fill out the application linked below.

 VendorApplication

Guest Blogger: Be Well Conway

What a stormy morning! Glad that many of you still made it out to MOPS and enjoyed a very wellness-focused morning. For those of you that couldn't join us, here's a short summary of my workshop:

My name is Moriah Bruner and my professional interest is helping people live healthier so that they have more energy and more ability to do all the things they need to do in their daily lives. I don't know about you, but as a mom and a wife I certainly need all the energy I can get. Can I get an AMEN? Well, that means we need to arm ourselves with fact-based food knowledge and solid nutrition resources so that we can make healthier food choices for ourselves and our families. 

First, we need to be savvy and informed consumers. Reading factual, unbiased nutrition information is way more reliable than relying on fear-mongering bloggers on the Internet or fancy and misleading corporate marketing campaigns. Two resources I highly recommend to help build up your arsenal of food knowledge are "Nutrition Action Healthletter" published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.nutritionaction.com) and HealthyChildren.org powered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (click on the "Nutrition" tab). 

Second, let's all have a firm grasp of basic nutritional concepts. Make sure you understand what a calorie is and how to count them and remember that it only takes 3,500 calories to equal 1 pound of body fat. Burn more calories than you eat to lose weight and you've mastered the "big secret" to weight loss. Ok, so maybe we aren't all so great at counting calories and watching our weight. So that takes me to my challenge for all the women of Conway MOPS: The 7-day food journal challenge! Grab a notebook and pen, visit a food tracker website, or download an easy-to-use app on your smart phone and record everything you eat for 7 days. EVERYTHING! Water you drink. Condiments on your sandwiches. Additives in your coffee and tea. Once you are done recording for a week then have a look. How are you doing? Did you realize how much you are consuming? What are your areas for improvement? Even if you aren't trying to lose weight, are you still needing to improve in areas such as fiber or calcium consumption? Remember, too, that by performing this exercise you are also learning how to more closely monitor your children's diets. In fact, why not do this exercise for your kids too? It might just highlight areas that need tweaking. (Note: Be discreet with older children and talk to your pediatrician for any major nutritional concerns!)

Finally, a few reminders and encouragements from one mom to another: I want nothing more than for all of you to have enough energy and feel good every day to be the best mamas you can be. Our children and our spouses demand a lot, if not all, of our energy and so it is really important for us to take care of ourselves so that we are able to take care of others. Here's a statistic for you: 72% of the food eaten in a household is controlled by the nutritional gatekeeper-- this is the person who chooses the food, buys it and prepares it and they are the opinion leader when it comes to establishing beliefs and preferences about food. Who is the nutritional gatekeeper for your family? Is it you? Do you bring a positive influence or a negative one? Just something to think about.

Lastly, if I leave you with any bit of advice it’s this: No mom is perfect in any aspect of parenting, including their children’s nutrition. Do not live with the burden of guilt. Treats, in moderation, are perfectly acceptable and an important part of food enjoyment. A cookie (or two) here and there is fine if balanced with veggies and fruit later. And remember that if you make an effort to be knowledgeable about food and surround yourself with the resources you need to understand the food environment we live in, you will always be prepared to make a HEALTHIER choice, even if the HEALTHIEST choice isn’t available or an uphill battle with your child. 

For questions, or for a free review of your 7-day food journal, please don't hesitate to contact me at BeWellConway@gmail.com. For other great tips, articles, and wellness news you can follow me on Twitter @BeWellConway or find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BeWellConway.

First Meeting

Wow! What a wonderful first meeting we had last Monday. It was great seeing old friends again as well as meeting so many new moms. If you missed it, we introduced our theme for this year, "Be You, Bravely." Skits, songs and a video from MOPS int. were on the agenda. Our discussion time was spent all together and learning about things as 'mothers of preschools' that we have in common. By the end of meeting we were literally all tied together. 

And, what would a MOPS meeting be without a little excitement?  We are happy to report that the little girl that fell at the end of the meeting is doing just fine! Thank you to everyone that called, asked and checked up on her. It's truly a blessing to be in a group that cares so much for one another. 

Our next meeting is this Monday....YES.....in 3 days!  We look forward to seeing everyone! Be sure to read your newsletters and fill out the sheet on the back. It will help us as we proceed through the year. 

-Lindsay