Sunday, November 29, 2009

December Playdate Par-tay!


The December Playdate is nearly here!

We're looking forward to a great morning at Tammy C.'s house (address in the directory or email derwoodmops@gmail.com). She's promised lots of holiday fun and I can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve (I'm hoping cookies)!

Bring yourself, bring your kids. The festivities begin Wedensday, December 2nd at 9:30AM.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Holiday Hoopla

What's all the Hoopla about?
Delicious desserts to be enjoyed in the company of femal friends
A night with no kids
An Auction (no real money needed)
Bring an UNWRAPPED new gift that represents something you love. All items will be auctioned off during the evening and you'll get a chance to buy (with fake money) real things to take home in place of the goodies you brought.

Don't have much money? Bring something you baked or something you made instead of something new(it will still represent something you love: cooking, sewing, crafting, cardmaking, etc.). You can be as creative as you want!
Fabulous Festivities
The hoopla starts Friday, December 4 at 6:30PM at Derwood Bible Church.
It'll be more fun than you can shake a reindeer at...
Need more information? Contact derwoodmops@gmail.com.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Playdates & Porcupines

Our November playdate at the church was a blast. The kids played and the moms chatted (and played some, too!).

We enjoyed circle time with songs and dancing.

We all got to feel the quills of a porcupine costume.

And we read a funny book, A Porcupine Named Fluffy.

We finished our day with a leaf stamping craft (sorry, no picutres). A great time was had by all.

Our December Playdate is just around the corner. Go here for more information.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things


The Derwood MOPS Resources Booklet is here! Sixty pages of tips and tidbits from Derwood MOPS moms on where to find the best in Health Care, Preschools/Daycare, Shopping, Beauty, Dining Out, Entertainment, and more.

Got a suggestion, tip or tidbit of your own for the Resource Booklet? Don't worry, it's like Jell-O, there's always room for more. Submit your own referrals and suggestions here and we'll update the Resource Book to include your information.

Special thanks to Teri H. for all of her work (and it was A LOT of work!) last year getting the ball rolling.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Blog Giveaway: Living on Less is giving MORE!

Derwood MOPS is offering a coupon organizer stacked with money-saving coupons to one mom who:

1. Leaves a comment on this post sharing one frugal change they've made or one frugal thing they've done since our October 28th meeting.

2. Leaves a comment on this post sharing a frugal tip of their own (not mentioned at the October 28th meeting).

3. Shares their tips or hints (new or old) with others. Leave a comment below stating who you shared your tip(s) with and their reaction. Sharing must have occurred since October 28th meeting.

Each mom can enter up to three times (one entry for each item above). The winner will be chosen at random by Joe P. and entries close at midnight on November 17th. Good luck and happy frugaling!

Living on Less - hints and tips for a frugal life

Hey, Money Saving Moms! The resources handout from our October 28th meeting - Living on Less, can be found here . For access to the powerpoint, click here.

Questions about the meeting or resources. Email derwoodmops@gmail.com or Trisha P. (email found in MOPS directory).

Derwood MOPS is hosting a Living On Less giveaway! Click here to find out how to enter.

Mom's Night Out is In

The November Mom's Night Out is moving Indoors. Come take a break from your fall to-do list and join us for a night of fun and games. We'll provide warm drinks and a relaxing environment (aka no kids and a roaring fire). Bring yourself, a favorite group game (if you have one), and a snack to share (not required). All the fun begins at 7:30PM (come anytime afterward), Friday, November 20th, at Trisha P.'s house (check your directory for an address or email us at derwoodmops@gmail.com). Please RSVP to derwoodmops@gmail.com by Thursday, November 19.

Pumpkin Patch Pandemonium

Butler's Orchard was the site for the MOPS October Playdate. After many days of rain, we were blessed with great temperatures and sunshine with which to explore pumpkin patches, participate in hayrides, nibble apples, and play with friends.

Jake S. enjoys his apple while Christy D., Emily, and Caleb sit nearby.

Madeline G., Jillian H., Ava L. & Andrew L. explore.

Much of the crew from left to right: Christine S with Kaylee and Matthew, Tammy C. with Hannah, Leah M. with Jaylyn and Jack, and Susan G. with Dominic.

Naomi & Lauren sporting their pumpkin stickers.

The rest of the crew on a hayride. From left to right:
Lauren H. with Jillian and Faith, Courtney C. with Cayden, Sara A. with Mariella, Sylvia B. with Dominic, and Naomi G. with Madeline

Lauren H. with her girls Jillian (left) and Faith.

Naomi G. with Madelin and Anna S. with Emmie.

Our next playdate is December 2nd at Tammy C.'s place at 9:30AM. Check out of Events page for more information or click here (coming soon).

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Fill a Shoebox: Update

To read the original post about Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child, and Derwood MOPS go here.

Want another idea for OCC Shoebox drop off? Chick-fil-A will be accepting Operation Christmas Child boxes on Tuesday, November 10 from 11AM-2PM and 5PM-7PM. If you drop a box at Chick-fil-A on Tuesday during these times, they will give you a coupon for a free chicken sandwich. They will deliver your box to a local dropoff site the following week while you enjoy your complimentary chicken sandwich. Boxes and fliers are available in participating stores. The Germantown store is participating. For other stores, call ahead.

Dipping + Chocolate = Delicious Fun

In October the MOPS moms met at The Melting Pot for our first Mom's Night Out. A quiet and calm ambiance, other moms with which to chat, and AMAZING chocolate fodue, which they set on fire at one point (very cool), made for a great evening.

From left to right: Karen V., Sylvia B., Karen H., Christine S., Teri H., and Courtney C. anxiously await the arrival of their fondue.

Silvia B. & Karen H. ready to dig into their fondue.

Christine S. and Teri H. pose for a quick picture.

Christine L. & Karen V. catch up over chocolately goodness.

Deborah C. & Trisha P. chat about life in the Domincan Republic.

Wilma C. & Donna P. get acquainted.

Above picture: before


Below picture: after



Jenn T., Julie L., & Naomi G. get in on the chocolately goodness.


Naomi G. & Hillary L. relaxing.

The next MOPS sponsored Mom's Night Out will be Friday, November 20. Please plan to join us for another great night. For more information, clicke here.

November Playdate = Tomorrow!



Tomorrow is the day! Meet us at Derwood Bible Church (address in the sidebar) at 9:30AM for fun with your kids. We'll have free play (aka chat time for moms), circle time, craft time, and snack time. Please bring your own snack. There is no charge for this event. See you there!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Ice your Cake and Eat it too

We had a great time at our Oct. 14th meeting! Ruth Rosburough generously shared her cake decorating experience and recipes with us. She gave us great tips on how to perfectly ice a cake and showed us how to make roses, leaves, baby booties, clowns and shells. As a grand finale, we all got a piece of that yummy cake with Butter Almond frosting! Yum!

Each mom got her own decorating tip and a bag of icing to put our new skills to the test. Our kids are going to have the most beautiful cakes this next year!

Lindsay, Jen, and Trisha practicing shells and writing.

Anna worked very intently.



Rachel, Anna, Susan, and Leah are total experts now.



Alicia's shells look pretty perfect.

Deborah and Julie knew this was serious business.

Allison working on her shell border as well.



Hillary working on her shells despite that tempting piece of cake right in front of her.



Tammy, Karen's arm and Courtney working very hard.

What a fun time of fellowship we had! Thanks, Ruth.

To see a copy of the resources and recipes from the meeting, click here.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Fill a Shoebox


Samaritan's Purse, an international relief organization, will soon be collecting shoeboxes for their annual Operation Christmas Child campaign. Shoeboxes filled with goodies will be distributed at Christmastime to needy children around the world.

Packing a shoebox is easy and can be a fun activity for your whole family. Shoeboxes can be filled with toys, school supplies, candy, hygiene items, and clothing. See the Samaritan's Purse website for more information about recommended items and prohibited items.

If you would like to participate in filling and wrapping a box or two with your family, you can bring your boxes to the November 18 MOPS meeting and we'll deliver them to a local dropoff site for you.


All the information you may want about Samaritan's Purse and instructions for filling and sending your Operation Christmas Child box can be found here.