Thursday, January 26, 2017

February Mom's Night Out and Play Date Details!

Reminders: The January Mom's Night Out is tonight, January 26th, and the Play Date is January 30th at the Germantown Soccerplex...

February is coming fast, so put these dates on your calendars!

Play Date: February 14th - Valentine's Day Free Play and Crafts!
10:30-12:30
DBC
Nicole Yeh is heading up this month's events and has booked the DBC auditorium for us!  She has planned Valentine's Day crafts for us and there will be plenty of space for our kiddos to run around and burn off some energy.  YAY! You can even bring some ride-on toys if you like.  My kids always enjoy these play dates - room to run and be crazy! Feel free to bring your own lunch and picnic on the floor :)

Mom's Night Out: February 26th - Oscar Party!
8:00 PM
Nicole Yeh's House

Enjoy a night hanging out with the ladies, snacking, watching the Oscars, and a a playing game for guessing the winner of each category - whoever gets the most right will get a prize!  This will be a fun, relaxing evening.  I thought about glamming it up by wearing my wedding dress, but since it doesn't fit anymore that wouldn't be very fun for any of us to see ;)  Feel free to wear sweat pants.  Or your pajamas.  Seriously, this is super low-key!

We look forward to seeing you at our February events!

Thursday, January 12, 2017

In Silent Awe of God

By: Emily March

I once knew a girl
Who stood by the sea,
And witnessed a great storm.
She was captivated by the mighty power that was portrayed.
The power of the angry sea.

I once knew a girl
Who walked along in the night.
As she looked to the heavens,
She was struck by the vastness of the sky;
For she could not count the number of the stars.

That same girl studied the sky.
Alone,
On a cold night,
In a lonely place on the opposite side of the world.
She was comforted by the faithfulness of the stars;
For she recognized every one.

I once knew a girl
Who witnessed the setting sun over the African plains.
She was captured by the fullness of color
 displayed across the sky.

I once knew a girl
Who felt new life forming inside her.
And when her baby was born,
She was amazed at the perfection she saw
As she held her little once close.

That same girl was walking along with her child one day
When her child stopped
Stooped down
And peered at the most vibrant caterpillar she had ever seen.
The girl and her child were both astonished
At the variety of creatures this world holds.

 One day
This girl stopped
 and recounted the moments in time that caused her to pause…
the power of the angry sea
the vastness of the night sky
the faithfulness of the stars
the colors of the sunset
the perfection of a new life
and the variety of creatures in this world

Then she sang praises to her Creator
For she knew that His creation
Is a reflection of Him.

He is more powerful than an angry sea,
Larger than the night sky,
More faithful that the stars above,
And more beautiful than a sunset.
His perfection creates new life,
And His creativity is displayed in every living thing.

And then
This girl knelt
In Silent Awe
Of God.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Resolutions

By: Nancy Kohut, Mentor Mom, Awesome Woman

Same you, new beginning. New Year’s resolutions – many of us make them in hopes of a new and improved version of ourselves by year end. I tend to shy away from making resolutions. Because they’re too much pressure. Because I have unrealistic expectations. Because I fear failure. Because I want to improve all aspects of myself, all at once, and I know that’s crazy. Because when the calendar flips over to February and I’m still desperately trying to tell myself that I don’t need sugar every afternoon at 3pm, and I still haven’t cracked open the book that three friends recommended to me, and speaking of friends, why haven’t I made an effort to have coffee with any of them yet?  I’m not feeling so motivated about my resolutions any more. So no resolutions made = no resolutions broken, right?

But something my daughter, Amie, said convinced me (again) that I learn just as much, if not more from her, than I teach her. At a rest stop on New Year’s Day, my husband explained to Amie how some people like to make New Year's resolutions and what that meant. He gave her some examples of typical resolutions. We then asked her if she wanted to make a New Year's resolution and awaited her answer with curious anticipation. Matter-of-factly (as only children know how), she said, "I would like to do two kind things each day." What? I seriously thought she was going to say “two kind things for the year”, which still would’ve impressed me for a six-year-old, but “each day”? That’s nearly imposs-…no wait, why hadn’t I thought of that? That’s so doable! 

While I don't know if she's actually going to follow through on this, it made think about how most of our resolutions are tangible, measurable, and self-focused – lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, spend less money, get more sleep, spend more time with friends, read more, and so on. These resolutions presume that we have to fix something about our every day, and often involve overcoming mental hurdles to alter our lifestyle. And though I believe it is worthwhile to improve ourselves by instilling good habits and letting go of bad habits, these changes take time, sometimes much longer than a year. Maybe we could all benefit by adding something that is a little less daunting to our lists, something that is “other-” and "love-focused".  Being kind is something we can all do, right now, every day. No monthly membership fee, special equipment, or app needed - just your heart. We might be out of practice and it might feel strange at first, but I think we all know how to live it out. Choosing a gentle reminder over a harsh word, showing patience over an eye-roll, giving a friendly smile to a stranger, sending a quick text message to a hurting friend, and even forgiving yourself for falling behind on that New Year’s resolution. 

Who will you be kind to today?