Hey All! Come enjoy open play time (and snack!) at DBC in the main auditorium on Wednesday, December 16th from 10 am - 12 noon. Bring balls, toys, tricycles or bikes, anything your child likes to play with. They'll also enjoy just running around with their friends. Enjoy time to chat with moms while your little ones run around and have a blast! It's a great way for them to burn some energy and get ready for their afternoon nap ;-)
Please RSVP via FB or our email (www.derwoodmops@gmail.com) so we make sure we have enough snacks. We look forward to seeing you there!
Monday, December 14, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
A Case for Advent
By Kory Glossop
I have always loved traditions. My parents were very big on establishing traditions especially surrounding celebrations.
As I moved into adulthood, I still craved these traditions and celebrations, but found that certain ones just seemed a little too corny to do alone, or with only adults.
Then I became a mom! While being a mom definitely can be hard, exhausting, draining, etc, it can also be AMAZING. One of the super fun things that I am starting to notice and appreciate is that some of those old traditions, that may have been weird to do before, are now adorable and amazing again!
This year, Caleb is 21 months and actually seems to understand that Christmas is coming. We pass decorations and he points and says, “Kissmass Tee” and “Kissmass Baws” (Ornaments). He even has started to point out “Santa!” We had a lot of fun Christmas traditions in my home growing up, many of which I want to bring into our family. We will do Santa, mainly because I remember the excitement and mystery and want that experience for my little man. We will look for Rudolph’s nose in the sky (red lights) on the way home from our family Christmas Eve celebration, because why not? We will leave cookies, carrots and a note for Santa and his reindeer. We will go to church Christmas Eve and watch the pageant of the first Christmas.
Many of these traditions are not unique to my family (except maybe the Rudolph’s nose one) and none of them seemed particularly individual to me growing up. However, as I have gotten older I have discovered one tradition that my family had that seems far more unique than I ever realized growing up. We celebrated Advent.
Now, when I say we celebrated Advent, I don’t mean that we opened an Advent calendar every day, which we did, or that our church lit an advent wreath, which they did, I mean, we DID IT UP.
Every Sunday night during Advent, the family would gather around the dining room table after dinner (which was not where we ate….carpet…small children….smart parents). We had an Advent wreath in the center of the table. My parents would dim the lights and we would begin our little family service. My parents would announce which candle we were lighting. (i.e. “tonight we light the candle of love”) The youngest child in the family had something to say (i.e. “Jesus is God’s Love”). There were some Bible verses to read, part of the Christmas story was told, and a Christmas hymn was sung.
All the kids would participate and sometimes even be allowed to help light or put out the candle. But, my favorite part came at the end of the “service”. My parents would pull out tiny strips of paper. On these strips of paper they had written 2-3 “loving things” that they had noticed each of us doing in the previous week. They would read off the child’s name and then what the strip of paper represented (i.e. “This is for Allison. Thank you for making your bed without being asked”).
After all of the slips of paper had been passed out, we would get up and move to the living room. On one end of the living room, we had our crèche set up with all of the usual characters, except that ours had an empty manger. All of the kids would line up across the room from the crèche and my parents would sit on the couch. They would begin to sing “Away in a Manger” and as they sang we would walk across the room to the manger. We would then take our strips of paper and place them in the manger so that our “love” made the “hay” for baby Jesus to lay on. (Baby Jesus was always placed on the “hay” by my parents after we went to bed on Christmas Eve so that he would be there when we woke up on Christmas morning.) Usually we would all go and join my parents on the couch and finish the song. We would hang out for a little bit longer and then begin to disperse.
The family service wasn’t long and it didn’t involve anything big but it stands out in my mind as one of the most special parts of the Christmas season. But aside from just being a special family time and memory, it accomplished the bigger task of making sure that the real “reason for the season” was front and center in our minds for the whole month leading up to the actual day.
Now, with Caleb being as little as he is, I don’t plan to do the full service yet this year, but we do have a wreath, and a little booklet that I found on Amazon and each night, after dinner, we dim the lights, light the candle and read one page from the booklet. We have been singing “O Come O Come Emmanuel” and “This Little Light of Mine.” Caleb gets to open his calendar and eat his chocolate, sing along, and help blow the candle out at the end. We’ve only done it for 4 nights, but he already is asking for the “Avent Weef” and talks about “Baby Dzeesus” and I look forward to it every night.
I know most non-denominational churches don’t celebrate advent since it is very liturgical, but I think it does such an amazing job of bringing Christ into Christmas for the little ones and making for an amazing family experience and tradition, that I plan to celebrate every year.
I hope that each of you and your families are able to celebrate lavishly this holiday season and that you would find great joy in remembering the real reason we celebrate!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
76 Cents
By Rian Ryan
Last year around this time, we received our Christmas Gift catalogs from various organizations like Samaritan’s Purse and Compassion International. I took the time to look through them with my kids and give them some options of what we could buy to support children and their families around the world. Children who don’t have the things we do. Food, warm clothes, safe water to drink. Every year this is a struggle for me, to try and read the words in the catalog to my little ones through tears. Last year though, I was holding it together for a little while until my 5 year old read something and asked me about it. He asked, “Why does it say ‘No mother should have to watch her child die.’?” Enter tears. With a shaky voice I did my best to explain to a 5 year old and a 2 year old what the world is truly like for many others. That there’s enough, and yet there isn’t. How mothers like me, who love their children with their whole hearts, don’t have what they need to keep their precious babies healthy. How mothers like me, who would do just about anything to provide for their children but can’t, put their babies to bed hungry or cold. How mothers like me sometimes watch their little ones languish and die because they have no choice. And then I explained that those are the reasons we each pick a gift to send across this world each year. My tender-hearted five-year-old’s eyes lit up and he declared that he knew how he could help. “I can send money from my piggy bank!” And his brother jumped in on the action. Together we went upstairs and they each opened their banks. Ferris gave me 3 of his 4 quarters, and Dax gave me 1 of his 2 pennies. I had a moment where I inwardly wondered why they didn’t give it all. But then I looked at the 76 cents in my hand and I knew that this is the beginning of understanding, the beginning of gratitude and giving. And 75 cents and 1 cent is a lot for two small boys. And my prayer is that every year, as we go through the catalogs and I read their choices through my tears, they will grow in gratitude and generosity. That they will become world-changers because they understand their place in this world. That they will notice the goodness around them and desire it for others. Because their hearts have been changed by gratitude.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Flourishing During a Season of Change
By: Joy Ahlman
Fall is my favorite season, no doubt. I love watching the trees change colors and the weather turn cooler. I love the sound of leaves crunching as we walk outside and the color of pumpkins all around. I love the anticipation of all the holidays that are just around the corner. I love how this time of year just seems so different than any other time of the year. So many things change during the fall - colors, sounds, smells, and temps!
This fall, I am experiencing change like never before. School is getting more intense as my big kids get older; Having a (nearly) toddler in the house after several years of only dealing with very independent older kids; And the biggest change of all right now - we just did a major move. It wasn't very far away from our previous house and I am SO grateful for that!! As much change as this move has been for me, I am so glad to not have to be figuring out things like, "Where is the closest Target?!?" But while location didn't really change, many other things did.
We have lived in various townhouses since we got married. We've moved seven times in the past eleven years. We are now working on settling into life here - in an area that we have no plans to move from and have moved into a house that we plan to live in for many years to come. We have land for our kids to explore and enough room in our house for our guests to no longer have to sleep on the sofa! All of this is wonderful and we're so excited for it, but change is difficult, often even when it's good.
As I'm trying to unpack and settle in, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to flourish here. I don't have all the answers yet, but here's what I've come up with.
I love watching my kids and noticing how they can explain the world to me so much better than I can to them. My oldest son has helped me learn to Embrace Rest. One day he informed me that the color red makes people angry. (Red is his favorite color.) He said that blue calms people down and yellow makes us happy. I asked him how green makes people feel. (Green is my favorite color.) He told me that green is the easiest color for our eyes to look at, therefore it's restful to our bodies. One of his favorite things to do right now is to be outside in our green yard, whether he is biking, reading, or raking leaves. And one of my favorite things to do is to stop what I'm doing and sit outside and watch him, resting for a moment surrounded by the beautiful green.
My daughter helps me Notice Goodness. She is such an amazing helper...sometimes! She will either help with anything and everything - or absolutely nothing!! But those times that she chooses to serve, she is so selfless, so precious, so good! She makes me want to try even harder to notice the good all the time!
And my sweet little baby - He has reminded me what it feels like to Celebrate Lavishly! He is one of the happiest babies that I have ever known. Even when he is SO sleepy, he can still flash a smile or give a giggle that can fire up a room. And how can you not want to celebrate when a baby says his first word, takes his first steps, or even simply smiles just because you walked into the room?!?
I want to create a home where my family can fiercely flourish. I want a space where our friends and family can come and embrace rest. I want a home where God's goodness can be noticed and celebrated lavishly.
Right now, amidst all the boxes and chaos, that almost seems impossible. But change is happening. Change is hard. But I have confidence that God will make this good.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
May Playdate - Playground Fun!
Please join us for our last scheduled playdate of the year! We'll meet at the playground at Bohrer park at 10am on Wednesday, May 27th. This is a great playground for a large range of ages, but it isn't the most shady, so be prepared with hats, sunscreen, water, etc. Bring a lunch if you'd like; there are a couple of picnic pavilions there that we should be able to use.
Hope to see many of you there!
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
May Mom's Night Out - Ice Cream!
Come join us on Tuesday, May 19th at 7:30pm for our last MNO of the year! We will meet at Bruster's in Gaithersburg for some delicious ice cream. (Check those coupon mailings - it's rare that I don't see a coupon for them in there!)
Hope to see many of you there!
Monday, April 6, 2015
April MNO
April's Mom's Night Out - Bowling!
Watching the movie "Mom's Night Out" in February inspired us to schedule a bowling MNO!
Please join us on Monday, April 20th, at Bowlmor Rockville (formerly the Shady Grove 300) at 8pm. We'll be taking advantage of their 'Monday Mayhem' promotion - $14.19 for unlimited bowling and shoe rental. You can find out more details about Bowlmor and their promotions by clicking the links.
If you can, please RSVP so I know who to look for. Hope to see many of you there!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Friday, March 6, 2015
March MNO - Freezer Cooking!
Join us on Friday, March 27th at 7:30pm at Sarah Cate's house for some easy assembly freezer meals! We'll be cooking off of Once A Month Meals' 2015 Easy Assembly Slow Cooker Mini Menu - please click here for links to the individual recipes.
A couple of changes from last year's freezer cooking night - we are not meeting at the church, so space is limited. Registration will end by March 22nd or when we have 10 ladies signed up. You will also need to bring a cooler and freezer packs to store your meals.
We're also asking you to bring your own meats for the meals, all prepped and ready to go. Buy all organic, all budget, or a combination of the two, whatever is best for your family! You could probably swap out types of meat if you want to as well.
Like last year, we will provide freezer bags and all of the other ingredients. There will be minimal prep before beginning the actual assembly.
Meals and Costs
Garlic Pork Roast ($4 for 2)
Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches ($3 for 2)
Slow Cooked Buffalo Chicken ($4 for 2)
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken ($3 for 2)
Slow Cooker Steak Chili ($3 for 2)
Registration is now closed! Please remember that, when you sign up, you are committing to assembling the meals and paying for the ingredients!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
March Play Date
Come join us for a wonderful time of family entertainment that brings out the kid in everyone! Little Tots is a great place for your child to get some energy out without having to worry about being outside.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Rio Washingtonian Little Tots
March 4th
10:30 am
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Joan & Kari
Monday, February 9, 2015
February Play Date
Come join us for a wonderful time with books, music, and activities from 10:00 to 10:30. Following story time the library provides open play with blocks, letters, and more from 10:30 to 11:00.
Wednesday Wonders Story Time
February 18th
10 am to 11 am
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Joan & Kari
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
February Craft Event:
Materials to Bring: If possible please bring any paper towel or toilet paper rolls, scissors, extra coffee filters, and cardboard (i.e.,side of cereal box or diaper box) We will have extras if people forget or do not have these things at home.
Wednesday, February 4th
9:30am-11:30am
DBC Old Building, Basement
Room 7 in the back with the kitchen
Come join us for a morning of fun crafts! Jen & Kory have put together four creative crafts for the kids to complete. All projects are easy for kids to help with and will look beautiful in homes over the month of February. Mom's with multiple children will have plenty of steps on each project for each child to do and then come together to make one family project for each.
Crafts: Four craft projects will be shared for kids to do with their moms. Unlike last craft morning, where we had two separate mom and kid crafts, this month we are doing a joint craft. Moms and their kids can choose to do one or two crafts or they can do all four!
1. Paper heart garland
2. Paper towel heart wreath
3. Paper heart wreath/garland
4. Coffee filter heart wreath
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
February MNO - Movie Night!
Movie Night at DBC!
We have rescheduled January's mom's night out for Friday, February 27th. Details below!
Please join us for a movie night at Derwood Bible Church! We'll meet in the old building at 7:30. We'll provide popcorn, soda, and movie theater style candy; please bring $2 to help cover costs.
Please join us for a movie night at Derwood Bible Church! We'll meet in the old building at 7:30. We'll provide popcorn, soda, and movie theater style candy; please bring $2 to help cover costs.
So we can plan accordingly, please let us know by Sunday the 22nd if you think you can come.
Hope to see you there!
Joan & Kari
Thursday, January 8, 2015
January Play Date
Play Time at the Plex
January 20th
10 am to 12 pm
When the weather is not so nice, come to Play Time at the Plex, it's like an indoor playground!
Come join us for a morning of fun at the Discovery Sports Center's "open" play time! The Discovery Sports Center is a 54,000 square foot, climate-controlled building that you can use to PLAY!
$2 per child - ages 1-10 (No charge for infants, 1-11 months)
- Play sports and games
- Bring toys
- Bring games
- Run around
- Parent/Guardian Supervision Required
Directions:
Take I-270 to Exit 15B (Route 118 South) towards Germantown
Continue on Route 118 for 2.8 miles to Richter Farm Road and turn right
Take Richter Farm Road 1 mile to Schaeffer Road (4-way stop) and turn left
The park entrance is 0.3 miles on the right.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Joan & Kari
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