This week we have the opportunity to get so know another one of our new mentor moms, Sharon W!  If you have any questions for our Mentor Moms, jot them down - you will have an opportunity to ask our mentor moms your questions in October!

Tell us a little about yourself:

I'm originally from Arkansas, and have only lived in Colorado about 8 years.  Following a 32 career with the VA Healthcare System, I retired in 2011.  I now work occasionally as a Consultant for a small financial/retirement planning company.  My husband Jeff and I are active members of Foothills Bible Church.   We have two dogs: Maggie, a bull mastiff; and Noble, a boxer.  We enjoy traveling, as well as hiking, camping, fishing, and visiting our cabin in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains.

How many children (and grandchildren) do you have?

I have 2 children, son and daughter:  

Jared (29 y/o) and Erin (32 y/o)

Both are married but as yet, I have no grandchildren. However, I do have 3 very special (and spoiled) 'Granddogs'.

Jared and his wife Lori live in North Little Rock, Arkansas. 

Erin and husband Michael have been married a little over a year, a job transfer for Michael brought them to Littleton in April.  Grateful for this unexpected blessing, even though they're here for what we feel is, unfortunately, a relatively brief season.  

How did you originally get involved with MOPS?  How long have you been a Mentor Mom?

This year will be my first experience serving in a Mentor Mom role. Through my involvement in other FBC ministries, I've become friends with a few amazing MOPS women, and have come to understand and appreciate the immeasurable blessing, vital relationships, and life impact of MOPS!  When I was asked the previous two years about serving as a Mentor Mom, I thought my "plate was too full" to add something this important.  With other commitments, I hesitated, fearing I might not do it justice.   However, after being approached again this year, and after much thought and prayer, I'm convinced of God's calling to serve and share in this amazing ministry!  Having been a career mentor (and of course, a Mom), praying the two will now come together, for His glory!  

What was the hardest thing and what is the best thing you remember about the pre-school stage with your own kids?  Any encouragement for those of us who are still in this stage?

The challenges (physical, mental and emotional) of being a 'working Mom' (that is, a having a demanding career outside the home) were most definitely the hardest.  Having the only grandchildren in either of our families, we too often kept a crazy pace as we desperately attempted to accommodate time with grandparents.  Type A gal that I was (and still tend to be), it was hard (impossible) to "do it all" and do it well - and thus too often, a recipe for stress!

One of the very best memories I have about the pre-school stage is how my children's infectious sense of awe and wonder transformed ordinary life into exciting adventures.  Birthdays and holidays became magical!  And though we left milk and cookies out for Santa, and could hardly stand it until our kids awoke Christmas morning to presents underneath the tree, their precious little hearts knew the real reason for the season was Jesus!  Some of my greatest Christmas treasures are ornaments they made during Sunday School so many years ago!

Encouragement?  First and foremost (and as difficult as it is),  "Be Still and Know that He is God" through a regular quiet time and Bible study.  It's absolutely essential to put on the full armor of God each and every day (Ephesians 6:10-18) through time spent in God's Word.   Then, take care of yourself - physically, through a healthy lifestyle; emotionally, through mutually encouraging friendships with other MOPS; mentally, through continuous learning.   Protect precious family time and relish simple pleasures, and celebrate life!   Some days may seem eternally long, but in truth, the years literally fly by - much too fast.  

What is your goal as a mentor mom, or what is the main encouragement you hope to offer to MOPS moms?

From my perspective, I think it's important to just be available -  to listen, to share experiences (what worked and what didn't), to encourage, to be a 'friend' - and most importantly, to glorify God as we grow together in living out His divine purpose and high calling for us as women and mothers!  

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate Caramel (Turtle) and Sea Salt Caramel.

Helping Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits

For those of you who might have missed our meeting last Thursday, we heard from Dr. Mike Fargone about helping our kids develop healthy eating habits.  As a mom with a picky eater, I really appreciated his talk!  

One thing that stood out to me was his advice that dinner should never look the same from night to night - if your child likes macaroni and cheese, try gradually sneaking other things into it, little by little.  For example, start with ketchup, then move to spaghetti sauce, then vegetable purees - then one day you’ll be adding whole vegetables to your child’s mac and cheese, and they won’t bat an eye!  It’s definitely something we’ll be trying around this house.

Dr. Mike also mentioned Juice Plus+ as a nutritional supplement, and if that is something you are interested in, talk to Jen L. (or see her link in the sidebar).

I (Callie) am also in a group with Joanna G., and she mentioned a book about sneaking fruit and vegetables into the foods of those finicky eaters.  The book is called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, so if you are like me and need more ideas of how to disguise fruits and vegetables so your kid will actually eat them, this might be a resource to check out.

There were two handouts for the talk on Thursday - these are very informative, and include everything that was shared, so you can download them if you weren’t able to come.

Finicky Eaters

Health Care vs. Sick Care

Do any of you have tips on how to help your kids develop healthy eating habits?  Share in a comment below or on our Facebook page!

Mentor Mom Series - Kathy G.

Kathy G. is our Mentor Mom to be featured today!  Get to know her better by reading her answers to the questions below.

If you have any other questions you would like to see our mentor moms answer, remember them for our mentor mom panel in October - or shoot us an email - we may have them answer them in a future post!

Tell us a little about yourself.  How many kids do you have?

Hi there,  This is Kathy G.

I have 2 children.  My son Chad is 25 and now a CPA here in Denver.  So blessed to have him here in town.  He is not married but has a very nice girlfriend.  We do enjoy spoiling our Grand dog, Stetson, a Golden Retreiver.

My Daughter Kristin is 22.  She just graduated from college and started teaching second grade in Irving, Texas, for Teach For America.  She is also not married, but has a very nice boyfriend.  He is still in SanDiego and she is in Texas so time will tell??  She is very passionate about her path.  Ask me again at Christmas time.

It has been so awesome watching God work in my kids lives and putting them where he wants them!!

How did you originally get involved with MOPS?  How long have you been a mentor mom?

I originally started as a mentor mom with night mops because a friend of mine here at church was doing it and loved it. Interestingly enough, It had been on my mind but I just hadn't done anything about it yet.  I always loved being with Teri and fun fact we met when our sons played baseball together from grade school through junior high.   Her husband was one of Chad's best coaches.  I did night mops for one year and  I love being a mentor mom.  I moved to Day MOPS as my husband doesn't like being gone at nights so much, now that our nest is empty.

What was the hardest thing and what is the best thing you remember about the pre-school stage with your own kids?  Any encouragement for those of us who are still in this stage?

I have always had to work at not rescuing my children, especially my first child.   We Moms always want to protect them from everything, but sometimes we need to step back and let them take the reins.  It probably won't be our way, and they may make a mistake or have a hard time, but it is OK.  That was and is still hard for me, but they learn so, so much from doing it their way and from their mistakes.   I loved and still do love watching them become their own little people, making friends, playing creatively, just observing who and what God is making them into.  He has an amazing plan!!

My advise would be to sometimes take a breath, a time out and just time for you.  Everyone is happier if Mom takes care of Mom, and you deserve it.  Also remember it is OK to say NO.  If your aren't sure sometimes, ask God what he wants you to say and to make it very clear to you.  Enjoy your little miracles ladies, and I know some days are difficult - Breath and Pray!!

What is your goal as a mentor mom, or what is the main encouragement you hope to offer to MOPS moms?

My goal is to try and be the Mentor Mom that God wants me to be, to be aware of your needs and respond and react as God wants me to.  Being a Mom has been one of  the biggest and most amazing  blessings in my life - not always easy for sure, but awesome.  I hope to be able to listen, and love on you all as I would have wanted to be loved on and as God has planned for us - He will show us how to be ourselves Bravely this year.  God is there for you 24/7, so go to Him whenever you need to or want to and always be grateful.  Everyday, even on the tough days, there is always something to be grateful to Him for!! 

What is your favorite ice cream flavor (just for fun)?

Chocolate almost anything, but I think Chocolate Turtle Ice Cream and at Bonnie Brae Ice Cream - even though I almost never get there.  My mouth waters just thinking about it. 

Be You Bravely Ladies - Love and Blessings to you all this year!

Mentor Mom Series - Jill M.

This week for our Mentor Mom series we are featuring one of our new Mentor Moms, Jill!  Read on to learn a little more about her, and once again, if you have any other questions for our mentor moms, keep them in mind for our mentor mom panel in October, or shoot us an email and we may have them answer your questions in future posts!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I have been married to Todd for 32 years and co-lead a Bible Study at Foothills on Tuesday mornings with Sharon W. - another new mentor mom this year.

How many kids (and grandkids?) do you have?

I have two sons, 28 and 26, married to two wonderful daughters-in-law!  Four grandawgs - when all are at our house for a get-together and it's wet outside, with our two dogs, that's 24 feet to wipe before they can come in :O)

How did you originally get involved with MOPS?  How long have you been a mentor mom?

I attended MOPS as a young mother and was on steering at two different churches filling the positions of hospitality and publicity. This is my first year as a mentor mom.

What was the hardest thing and what is the best thing you remember about the pre-school stage with your own kids?  Any encouragement for those of us who are still in this stage?  

The hardest thing was potty training one of my sons....he didn't have time to stop what he wanted to do but would sneak to a corner somewhere eventually and you just knew when you didn't see him what he was "doing".  The best thing was that everyday was like a "snow day" - I loved not having a fast paced schedule and watching their personalities develop.  My encouragement would be to look for the "funny" even in hard situations - they make for great stories, especially to their spouses way later! :O)

What is your goal as a mentor mom, or what is the main encouragement you hope to offer to MOPS moms?  

The Lord is your best resource for help!! Your kids have never been kids before so you are both learning together - thank Heavens we don't need to have all the answers all at once!

What is your favorite ice cream flavor (just for fun)? 

Pistachio Almond. :OP

Mentor Mom Series - Sheryl D.

We are so excited to start a new mini-series here on the blog to introduce our mentor moms!  

These ladies have so much wisdom and encouragement to share, and we thought we'd tap into that wisdom a little more on the blog this year.  So we sent out some questions for our mentor moms to answer, and I have to say I have loved reading their answers (one perk of being in publicity is that I get a sneak peek of things like this)!  

This is your chance to get to know these amazing women a little better before our Mentor Mom panel in October.  So read on, and jot down any other questions you want them to answer.  You can ask them at the panel in October, or you can send them over to us for possible future mentor mom posts!

Our first Mentor Mom feature is Sheryl D, our lead mentor mom!

Tell us a little about yourself.  

I grew up in Denver, graduated from North High School, went to UNC for college to become an elementary school teacher, then taught 3 years in Webster Groves, MO.  While my husband was going to dental school at St. Louis University, we started our family.  After my husband finished his 2 years in the Navy, we moved back to Denver, settled in Lakewood, and the rest is history. :)

How many children (and grandchildren) do you have?

My name is Sheryl D.  I have 2 children - a son, Chris, who is a chemistry prof in NC, and a daughter, Lori, in heaven.

I have three grandchildren!  Ages 18, 16, 14 - boy, girl, boy.

How did you originally get involved with MOPS?  How long have you been a mentor mom?

I have been a mentor mom for 11 years - this is my 12th year.

Pat L. asked me if I would consider being a mentor mom, and the rest is history.

What was the hardest thing and what is the best thing you remember about the pre-school stage with your own kids?  Any encouragement for those of us who are still in this stage?

I remember being so busy with my preschoolers - hardly time to think!  I probably spent too much time worrying about how messy my house was.  It helped that the church I was attending at the time had a Mothers' club which was so helpful to hear I wasn't alone.  Remember, this too shall pass.  Enjoy it!  They grow into teenagers way too quickly!

What is your goal as a mentor mom, or what is the main encouragement you hope to offer to MOPS moms?

I just love to love on the moms and give you all encouragement.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor (just for fun)?

Favorite ice cream flavor:  mint chocolate chip, or anything with chocolate.

A Welcome Giveaway!

We are so excited about the new year with MOPS!  It is going to be a great year exploring our theme, Be You Bravely - and since we are venturing into brave, new territory with the blog re-launch this year, we wanted to celebrate by giving away some goodies to one of our Day MOPS moms!  One lucky mom will win all of the following prizes:

1. Hands-Free Mama by Rachel May Stafford - This book is all about learning to put away your phone and embrace these precious moments with our families.  I have just started reading it, but I am already feeling challenged and encouraged by it!

2. A $5 Starbucks giftcard - Because we all need caffeine, am I right?  Or if you aren't into caffeine, people tell me they have hot chocolate and smoothies too.

3. Be Brave print - We found this lovely print here and thought it was the perfect fit for our theme this year!  Hang it somewhere where you can see it to remind you to have courage as you go about your day.

4. Another print of the winner's choice - Nicole, from Nicole Joelle Prints, has offered to give the winner of our giveaway one print of their choice from her shop!  She has so many beautiful print styles.  These are a few of our favorites, just to give you an idea of what you could pick - check out her shop to see all of the options!

Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below if you would like a chance to win these goodies!  We are keeping this giveaway open until the end of September to give everyone plenty of time to enter.  This giveaway is only open to those who are currently enrolled in FBC Day MOPS for the 2014-2015 year.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway