Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth"
A beautiful verse to remember - take that time to be still and acknowledge His presence in all of life's moments - no matter how busy we feel we are... Wherever we are... BE ALL THERE! God is always PRESENT in our lives!
Our speaker this morning was Valerie Smith, a pediatrician at St. Paul Children's Foundation. She is a mom of 3 children and understands the busy schedules with young children. St. Paul UMC began a ministry 17 years ago when a child asked a church member if they could attend St. Paul's United Methodist Church. The child thought because he was a different ethnicity he and his family could not attend the church. The congregation realized very quickly the community surrounding the church had changed and there were urgent needs right outside the church doors. An afterschool program was started for children on Wednesdays with Bible stories, activities, etc. They expected 10-15 and over 60 children arrived. Today they have 120 who attend each Wednesday for their afterschool program. From there they began a food pantry and clothes closet for the local community... today they have added a medical and dental clinic serving those with no or very little insurance coverage. Valerie realized very quickly from her patient population (40-60% are overweight and obese) prevention for chronic health problems relating to obesity were very needed. A passion grew to help children and families learn some simple ways to help ensure a healthier weight and prevent chronic health issues. Here are the simple daily goals she shares with her patients. Great ideas that benefit all children and us as parents....
5 - servings of fruits/vegetables
have children help in selecting at the store (or growing in a garden) vegetables/fruits - they will be more interested in eating them they are involved in the process
if they refuse to eat veges/fruits - try cutting in diferent shapes or serving at different temperatures
it can take 10-15 times for a child to like a vege/fruit - continue to keep serving
try placing the vege/fruit on a plate with 2-3 other things the child does like... may try it because they see other things on their plate that they like
2 - hours or less of TV & video
on average a child will see 52 messages (commercials) on tv - unhealthy food messages
by the age of 3, children are influenced by tv commerials
when we are watching tv, we often eat when we are not hungry... sometimes eating more than we should in a sitting
1 - hour or more of physical activity
the more you can get outside, the better you are able to get your children to be active
inside activity idea - turn on the radio and dance with your kids
best way parents can show the importance of physical activity is their role model for being active
0 - sugary drinks
limiting servings of fruit juice to only 4-6 oz.
by the age of 3, 1/3 of kids drink sugary drinks which can affect attention span
and Breastfeeding - a recommendation if it is possible for those moms expecting bundles of joy.
Healthy snacks ideas... try to include things with whole grain, fruit/veges, protein... (there is a list of snack ideas she shared if you would like a copy).
We ended our morning with Q&A from Dr. Smith... questions included vitamins, probiotics, daily milk amount needs, and vaccines. It was a very informative morning and great to have new ideas to try with my "picky" vegetable eaters.
Our MOPS Garage Sale will be next Saturday, March 31st from 7 a.m - 1 p.m. We still need items to "sell" at the garage sale. If you have items to donate, you may drop them off at Judy's home on Friday, March 30th from 6-8 pm or let me/Sherry know and we'll be happy to stop by to pick them up next week. Please call my cell for any pick-up needs. If you would like to help at Judy's on Friday, we'll organize items from 6-8 p.m. and then the sale is from 7-1 on Saturday. There is no pressue to help with the sale, it is only if you'd like to and have time.
Our next MOPS meeting will be Thursday, April 12th
This will be our first annual "MOPSwap"! The idea was shared from several other MOPS group who loved this meeting. Everyone brings up to 3 things that you think another mom might enjoy from your house. You will go home with 3 new items! These things might include a favorite soap/candle or a "mom" item (ex. cleaning product - Mr. Clean Magic Eraser), home decor item you no longer have displayed that another mom might enjoy, your child's gently used toy they no longer play with, etc. You can be as creative as you want to be! Please don't go out and spend any money... the idea is to find things around the house, something nicer than maybe you want to donate to Goodwill or throw away... We'll have 3 rounds - we will draw numbers for each round and go one by one "shopping" in the MOPSwap room... It should be lots of FUN! Jennifer will also have a great craft activity for us this morning! The YELLOW table will provide a delicious brunch!
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
MOPS Play Date at Jackie's Home on Monday, April 16th at 10 a.m.
Our MOMS Night Out will be Thursday, April 19th at 7 p.m.
Hope you all have a wonderful Easter with your families! Looking forward to seeing each of you in April!
Blessings!
Sarah
