Change is Coming!

Change can sometimes be challenging to handle, but it can also be an opportunity for God to do something new in our lives. We have that opportunity for change this fall! Due to a lack of leadership for the MOMS group for the 2012-2013 year, we will not have the group this year. I am saddened by this, but I know God must have plans and new opportunities for all of us. One such opportunity is through the Women's Ministry of New Covenant Church, which includes the MOMS group. The Women's Ministry Leadership Team, under the direction of Karlie Row, is ramping up for some amazing ministries this fall. Starting Wednesday, September 12 from 9:30-11:00 am, ...

"The Gathering: A Women's Ministry Event" will take place! Every Wednesday we get to come together, share life, encourage one another, and more! I plan to be involved with this as much as possible, which might be sporadic this Fall since my baby is due October 5th. I hope many of you will join me! All are welcome, whether you attend NCC or not! In addition, there are many women's Bible studies offered throughout the year to help you dig in to the Word. Carmen Duarte continues to lead monthly groups to cook for and minister to the families at Ronald McDonald House, so contact her if you want to get on her email list. That ministry has been an incredible source of blessing for those who help and those who receive the food!

Even though we will not have the MOMS group this year, please feel free to use the email list and the friendships you have made to make play dates, share ideas, encourage one another, etc. The NCC MOMS Facebook page will continue to be open as well, so stay connected! We will do our best to keep you informed as the year progresses. I would love to see the MOMS group come back next year, but we will just have to wait on God's direction for that!

Thank you for the learning, love, laughter, encouragement and deepened faith you have given me through the MOMS ministry. You all have been an incredible blessing to me as I am learning to navigate the waters of being a mother, wife, Godly woman, and friend. I will miss seeing you on Tuesdays!

In Christ,
Katie Hallstrom

We have a bunch of fun things coming up this next week for MOMS!

On Monday, Sept. 26th, we are having a Chick-Fil-A fundraiser night (at the Paseo/San Pedro location). If you come between 5-8pm and give them our flyer, Chick-Fil-A will donate part of their profits to our MOMS group.

On Tuesday, Sept. 27th, we will have our next MOMS meeting. Evelyn Obermueller will be speaking on Proverbs 31:30, which is our theme verse for the year. Evelyn is a wise and godly woman who attends New Covenant Church.  

On Thursday, Sept. 29th, we will be the "guest chef" at the Ronald McDonald house.  We will meet there at 4:00pm, unload groceries and any other items that people have donated, get a quick run down of the kitchen and then cook dinner for 60!  As the "guest chef" you plan a meal and bring the food to prepare it.  There is no set dinner time, it is served from 5 - 6pm.

We are excited for all that we have in store for this week!  Please contact us with any questions about our upcoming events. I can't wait to see you all!!

First Moms Meeting!

What a fun first meeting! We had a great kick off for the year complete with a skit from our multi-talented steering team, speed chatting, craft time creating journals, and an overview of the verses we will be focusing on this year.

Proverbs 31:10-31
^"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Wow, that's a lot to work towards! We will examine these attributes more deeply each week and discuss how these can look in our life's today. Well ladies, thanks for a fabulous kick off meeting! I look forward to all the fun we have in store for us this year! 

MOMS 2011

Welcome to MOMS 2011! Our theme for this year is becoming a Proverbs 31 Mom.  We are going to take an in depth look at what this means and how we can work towards this goal over a lifetime.

I would like to introduce our new coordinator for the year, Katie Hallstrom!  She was a member of MOMS last year and has a sweet daughter named Emma, who is adorable!  Katie is working closely with Carmen Duarte, who was a mentor mom last year and is a mom of two sweet daughters.

Registration will take place a little different this year. The steering team will be available each Sunday until September 13th (which is the date of the first MOMS meeting).  A table will be set up in the NCC foyer, where you can pick up a registration form.  The second way that you can register is by picking up a form in the NCC office. If you would like to have a registration form mailed to you, please just let us know. If you register and pay your dues on or before September 13th, you will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!  Dues will be $60.00 per semester or $100.00 for the whole year.  If you have any questions, please contact Katie Hallstrom at khallstr@hotmail.com or 306-0485 or Carmen Duarte at cdtruenorth@hotmail.com or 884-7589.

In other news, this year MOMS is opening up for both home school moms and moms with older children. We are going to have a home school room this year so that the mommies that have kiddos doing school at home can attend. This year, we will also have reduced rates for moms that will be attending without their children ($60.00 for the year or $35.00 per semester).We are excited for this addition. Every mom could use friends to walk along side of them, no matter what age their kiddos are! If you have any questions, please contact Carmen Duarte at cdtruenorth@hotmail.com.
 
Finally, you are invited to attend the Just Between Friends Pre-Sale Event! The date has changed to the evening of October 6th.  The event will be held at the New Mexico Army National Guard Armory.  Just Between Friends is the leader in the nation's Children and Maternity Consignment.  If you are interested in attending the special pre-sale event, please contact Melanie Branham at 750-7169 or melaniebranham@jbfsale.com.  The website also has great information www.jbfsale.com.  It is important to contact Melanie soon, so she can put your name on the list to get in or get you a pass.   Melanie has gracious offered this to our MOMS group!  Not just anyone can attend the pre-sale event!  

Well, I hope that covers it all! We are so excited to see everyone in a few weeks and can't wait to get this new year of MOMS started! See you soon!!

Summer Fun!

There are lots of fun ideas on the web for inexpensive or free summer fun. Here are a few of my favorite links so far (feel free to post your own favorites in the comments):

Camp Mom on parents.com - why not get together with some other moms to hold your own summer camp? Cheaper, and easier than other summer camp alternatives.

Summer Bucket List - write out a list (or borrow this bulletin board idea) of fun things you want to do this summer, and hang it somewhere for your family to see.

And if you need inspiration for that list, here's a link to 100 free or inexpensive things to do with kids...
Creative Mama has a list of favorite summer things, including a bubble recipe...

So what are some of your favorite things to do with your kids/family over the summer?

2010-2011 slideshow

Happy Summer!!

What a wonderful MOMS year - thank you for making it such a great one! Have a great summer!! :)



Can you believe how much our MOMMETS have grown?!?

Conflict Resolution

Just a few notes from our great speaker on conflict resolution:

CONFLICT = danger + opportunity!!

Try this for effective communication:
level 1 - describe event
level 2 - feelings/emotions
level 3 - meaning/significance
level 4 - what does it cause you to feel about yourself?

"couch time" - make space and time to do it!

And don't forget the 13 ways to handle conflict and a model for active listening (handouts)

Does anyone else have good resources on effective communication and conflict resolution? Any thoughts you had on this meeting? I'd love to hear them - leave a comment!

chemo caps

Man, I'm sorry I missed this one! Janelle Morris came and talked about the chemo caps ministry, and it looks like everyone did a great job cutting out caps and making blankets. Thanks, Beth, for the photos!

Here was an email from Janelle:

"Thanks again for your help with the chemo cap project. I really enjoyed
coming to MOMS last Tuesday and meeting so many great moms. Their help and
enthusiasm was wonderful in helping get so many blankets and hats tied for
our project.  Please tell them how valuable and appreciated their help was
for me.

Hope some of the MOMS can help on Chemo Cap day January 29. Thanks for
getting the youth room lined up."

Don't forget a little something for your secret sister if you weren't able to bring it at the last meeting!! :)

social styles

Do you tend to ask or tell? Do you tend to be more task or people focused? If you're tell-assertive and task-focused, you're most likely a driver. If you're tell-assertive and people-focused, you're probably an expressive. If you're ask-assertive and task-focused, you're an analytical, and if you're ask-assertive and people-focused, you're an amiable.

There are many resources out there on this...just ask google. ;) tracom group social styles is one, and there's a if you want to get really into it...


Apparently not everyone thought that the talk was thrilling. ;)

Park/Harvest Day

This year's park day wasn't nearly as cold as last year's!



Here's one of my little pumpkin...


We really try to be non-discriminatory at MOMS. We welcome ALL moms, and woodland creatures alike...
Just too many captions for this one (I can't choose!) ;)

There's still time to get your costume photo for a $5 donation. See Diana Huston for your photo if you haven't already.

Hip Stitch

A huge thank you to the ladies at Hip Stitch, Suzanne and Ann, who came to show us some sewing basics and help us make lavendar eye pillows. Check out the many fun classes offered at Hip Stitch...

...and the first comment on this post gets an eye pillow! If you already have one, this would be a great gift! ;)
See, Emma's ready to sign up for a class (edible sewing)! ;)

Putt-Putt Family Day

I see some pro golfers in our future...



...(or future zoo trainers) ;)

The first person to comment on this post gets a free child's game at Putt-Putt.

First MOMS Meeting!

What a fun first meeting! We have lots of new faces this year, and started off with a "survivor mommy" challenge - can I just say that if the end of the world happens any time soon, I think a MOMS Meeting is the place to be for ultimate survival gear? ;)

And we made some journals with the attributes of God we'll be using throughout the year...

And, of course, there's always beautiful babies. ;)


Sorry it took me so long to get the post up from the first meeting. To make up for it, the first person to find October's secret word on the blog (pumpkin) and make a comment on the post will get a little surprise. ;)

Summer Fun

Summer Camps and Activities for Kids:
Bounce N Boogie - lots of fun classes starting up this summer, and now Emily offers unlimited classes for one low price!

VBS at New Covenant Church (June 14-18) includes a sports camp for 6-12 year olds and a separate camp for 4 and 5 year olds. You can register online.

Summer Reading Programs - Albuquerque and Rio Rancho

Community Centers Summer Recreation Program

Balloon Museum's Stories in the Sky - storytime includes free admission to the museum Wednesdays 9:30-10:15

Museum School through Albuquerque Museum - offers art classes for children 3 and up, and the museum offers family art ativities on Saturdays in addition to free admission the first Wednesday of each month.

Explora Summer Camp for kids 5 and up

Swimming Lessons: City of Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, JCC

Young Explorers Science Program through the New Mexico Museum of Natural History (for kids entering kindergarten and up)

Sandia Mountain Natural History Center offers nature hikes and an explorer center that you can do on your own.

Camp BioPark - camps for preschoolers through 9th grade.


Outdoor Activities:
Nature Discovery for kids at the Rio Grande Nature Center for kids entering first grade and up.

Petroglyph National Monument had a Web Ranger (ages 6-13) and Junior Ranger (K-6) program

Manzano Mesa Water Sprayground

There are some great places for hiking, camping, walking, biking and rollerblading.
Volcanoes, Paseo del Bosque bike trail, open space, Tingley Beach fishing (free fishing clinics offered)

Concerts and Plays:
Summerfest outdoor concerts, Summer Nights concerts at the Aquarium, Zoo Music,
Albuquerque Concert Band performing at parks throughout the summer, Salsa Under the Stars at Albuquerque Museum's sculpture gardens (fun date night idea).

Arts in the Parks

Kimo Theatre has summer performances for families and kids

Other:

Free Family Film Festival

Albuquerque Isotopes

The city of Albuquerque also has a free lunch program open to everyone 1-18 years of age over the summer at community centers and parks.

Have anything to add? Leave a comment or email Ellen and I'll add it! ;)


The City of Albuquerque has a page on their website with lots of ideas for things to do this summer. Check them out here - http://www.cabq.gov/fun/summer

2009-2010 MOMS slideshow

Parenting...

...with love and logic. Thank you to Diana Huston's husband for giving us a taste of this parenting philosophy which allows natural consequences to teach our children. I admit that I used this a lot as a teacher, but it's harder to use with my own kids!! You can learn more about love and logic here, and I have a copy of the book Parenting With Love and Logic if anyone wants to borrow it.

There are so many parenting books out there. If you have a parenting book you'd recommend, leave a comment - I'm sure we have a vast selection of resources out there among our own MOMS!!

Dr. Kevin Leman has a book that follows love & logic pretty closely - Making Children Mind without Losing Yours. Dr. Leman has great practical tips and a good sense of humor, which helps when you're looking at discipline.

Anyone else? Leave a comment! :)

Easter Tea

One of my favorite spring MOMS meetings is always our Easter Tea. Delicious tea and snacks, a wonderful testimony from Lisa Fortney, and time to chat with other moms...it just doesn't get better than that! :)

Frigid Park Day Part II (spring edition)