November: Happy Thanksgiving

Turkey Planter

A more charismatic flowerpot we never did see -- and he doubles as a handsome Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Materials

• Self-drying modeling clay (brown)
• Butter knife
• 7 1/2-inch-tall terra-cotta pot
• 2 white pebbles (painted, if necessary)
• Black permanent marker
• 1 walnut in the shell

• 1 red pipe cleaner, 9 inches long
• 6 corn kernels
• Hot glue
• Corn husks (available at grocery stores)
• Potted mums (in a pot at least 1 inch smaller than the terra-cotta pot)

Instructions

1. THE HEAD: From some of the modeling clay, shape two balls, each 3 inches in diameter, and a third ball that is half the size of the other two. Sandwich the balls so that the smallest ball is in the middle, and press together. Smooth the balls together to form a head, neck, and chest.
2. Tip: To smooth cracks or rough edges, wet your finger and smooth the clay. With a butter knife, cut a vertical slit halfway up the center of the bottom ball. Slide it over the rim of the terra-cotta pot. Press the two sides of the clay ball together to secure the turkey's head to the pot. Lightly flatten the clay on the inside of the pot.
3. THE FACE: For eyes, use the marker to draw black circles in the centers of the white pebbles. To make the turkey's face, firmly press the eyes and walnut (for a beak) into the clay head. For the wattle, fold the pipe cleaner in half and twist the ends together. Press 1 inch of the pipe cleaner into the clay just above the beak, and bend down the protruding end.
4. THE FEET: From the clay, make two 3-toed turkey feet. Press a kernel of corn onto each toe. Next, press the feet onto the front of the pot.
5. THE WINGS AND FEATHERS: Once the clay is dry, secure any loose pieces with hot glue. Next, hot-glue dried corn husks onto the sides and back of the pot (on the inside) to make the wings and feathers. Once everything has dried, insert the potted mums into the turkey planter.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream
Harder cookies--like Nabisco's--keep the most crunch (softer ones will dissolve).
Yield: Serves 8 (makes 1 qt.)
Total: 50 Minutes 

Ingredients

• 1 pt. whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup Homemade Pumpkin Purée
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed gingersnaps
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

Preparation

• 1. Whisk all ingredients except gingersnaps and bourbon in a bowl to blend. Strain into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.
• 2. Scrape ice cream into a bowl and stir in gingersnaps and bourbon. Freeze, covered, until scoopable, 2 1/2 hours and up to 1 week (gingersnaps soften somewhat after 1 day).

Tree of Thanks
First, create a tree with any of the following:

POSTER BOARD - with a black or brown marker, draw a large tree on a poster board (forming the outline of a tree trunk and branches), then use small pieces of scotch tape to attach the poster to a closet or pantry door.

CONSTRUCTION PAPER - tape together several sheets of brown construction paper to form a tree and branches (use sheets of paper cut in half lengthwise for the branches), then use small pieces of scotch tape to attach the tree to a closet or pantry door.

REAL TREE BRANCH - use a real tree branch that's somewhat flat and attach it to the door somehow, or place it in a bucket of sand and pine cones.

Be creative and make your tree bases however you want!

Next, make some leaves to write on...

Using construction paper or other similar material, cut out a stack of leaves (preferably the fall colors of red, orange, and yellow).  Make enough so that each member of the family will have plenty of leaves to write out individual things they are thankful for, and even a few extra for holiday visitors!

Holiday Stress Busters

By Carrie Carter, M.D. Have you ever had a Christmas when you worked yourself into such frenzy that no one enjoyed it? “Holiday magic” does not mean that come late November you “magically” have more hours in the day and less responsibilities so you can absorb all the extra work that comes with the holidays. You still are a full-time parent, and have all the usual duties of your life. And you were already overloaded! But the holidays drive us to extraordinary lengths, and often leave us suffering from extraordinary stress. Stress is not only uncomfortable, it can be damaging to your health. Every mom I know already lives with more stress than ever; the last thing your physical and mental health needs is a stressful holiday season! Emotional stress causes the release of hormones in your body called epinephrine or adrenaline, and cortisol. When released chronically these chemicals can be destructive to your body. Therefore, you need to do what you can do to prevent holiday stress, and know what to do with the stress that you cannot prevent. When the relatives arrive and all is a frenzy, the things that could go wrong do go wrong. Your two-year-old gets an ear infection on Christmas Eve, and your dog eats the box of candy from Aunt Edna and gets sick from the chocolate… now what? First, consider what matters most this holiday season. Second, make the best of the situation and adjust your expectations accordingly. Third, try one or more of these emergency rapid stress reducers:

Exercise for five minutes. This helps your body clear these damaging stress hormones from your system. Any type of exercise that you like or can do will help. Take a brisk walk around the block, do jumping jacks in your bedroom, or have everyone dance in the living room to Christmas music. It will help the whole crowd! Walk outside for a few minutes. It is harder to do when it’s twenty below, but a few minutes away can break the tension. Take a hot shower or hot bath. Plan ahead. It is more relaxing and effective if your preschooler is occupied elsewhere and not banging on the door, yelling, “Mo-MMMY!” Find a moment of quiet for meditation, Bible study, or prayer. Grab five minutes every day, even if it’s while you’re in the bathroom. Do some relaxation deep breaths. The 10-20 minute nap. Sleep can deeply refresh you when your energy is running low. Find the laughter. Try to find something funny in your surroundings. Tell jokes, or watch a funny movie or show as a family. Play a fun game together. Find joy in the midst of the stress and you cancel some of the bad effects. Live in the moment as much as possible. No matter how “wrong” things go, there is something to cherish about each moment with your loved ones.

Too many of us come to our “holiday stress crossroads” too late to make that season more bearable. At the end of this year’s holiday festivities, evaluate and write down what you would like to be different next year. Be as specific as possible. Remember that decreasing your holiday stress is not only important for your health, but also the health of everyone in your family. Plus, you want to teach a healthy approach to the holidays to your children, and you will if you set a good example. The time to start is now! I wish you blessed, low-stress holidays, full of all that really matters to you!

Dr. Carrie Carter is a mother and national speaker on health issues. She served as a pediatrician for more than 10 years in San Diego, California, has been a regular contributer to MOMSense magazine and wrote Mom's Health Matters.  The information in this article is only a guide. Please talk with your physician about any health concerns and before you start taking any medications.

Pumpkin Pie Leftovers?  (Is there such a thing?)  Toss a slice in the blender with some milk and a couple of scoops of ice cream for a delicious milkshake!

Operation Christmas Child - a great activity to do as a Mops table or as a family!  See here for more information!

Eat This or That?

Here are two websites, Smarter Living and Left Foot Organics, that have a food season guide for our area (the second one may not necessarily be for the Pacific NW, but it will give you an idea on when a food is in season). Dawn, our speaker from Nov. 4th, wanted to also add in regards to freezing vegetables rather than storing long term that root vegetables and things like pumpkins and winter squash do store quite well unlike the summer vegetables which have more limited storage times.  If anyone has further questions on nutrition, you are welcome to email Dawn!


The game we played on November 4th came from this article.  Happy reading!

Should Your Family Eat This or That?

Yogurt or applesauce? Burger or hot dog? Find out in this nutritional smack down.

Rolled Flowers from Craft 10/28

Here is a "how-to" on making rolled fabric flowers like the ones we made today for our burlap wreaths!  Just think of the possibilities - some that were mentioned were flowers to put on headbands/clips for our little princesses' hair...pins to make brooches...gift ideas...what a great craft!

October: Falling into Fall

Pumpkin Pie Playdough


1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt 
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 cup water
6 drops red food coloring
15 drops of yellow food coloring

Add oil, water, food coloring and whisk until smooth.  Combine dry ingredients in a non-stick pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it forms a ball.  Turn onto counter, let cool slightly, knead until smooth.  Dough will keep in a plastic bag for about a week.

A Prayer for Autumn

I pray...

God, I see the cycle of the seasons.

Summer ends and runs into fall,

which gives way to LONG winter,

and then spring.

Autumn is a season of change - 

and it reminds me that I am changing too.

Things I used to need I may need no longer.

Helm me throw off those things that hold me down,

so I might become something new.

This is a time when there is an explosion of color,

and then it starts to get cold again.

This is part of life.

Help me understand

I cannot live in summer forever.

I cannot be growing 

like a garden in the spring all the time

I am made to change

and this season is part of it.

Let me welcome the change.

Let me see the beauty of your earth

as it prepares to speel in the wintertime.

Let me embrace this time of change and become something new.

Amen.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Yield: about 3-4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
Dash of allspice

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the pumpkin puree.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend.  Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball.  Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart.  Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly.  Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through.  Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Store in an airtight container.

October Destinations ~ Pumpkin Patches


Lattin's Country Cider Mill & Farm - 9402 Rich Rd. Olympia
Schilter's Family Farm - 141 Nisqually Cut Off Road SE Lacey
Hunter's Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Trees - 7413 Yelm Hwy. SE Olympia

Upcoming Events:

October 28th - Clothing Exchange

November 18th - Toy Exchange

Next Meetings: 

October 28th

November 4th (back to back with Oct. 28)

November 18th

Moppets Songs

Song we’ll be doing all year:

It’s Fun to Come to Mops (tune of Farmer in the Dell)

It’s fun to come to Mops, it’s fun to come to Mops

With all the other girls and boys, it’s fun to come to Mops.

It’s fun to sing and play, hear stories every day

We make a craft and eat and snack, and then we’re on our way.

God Is With Me (tune Frere Jacques)

God is with me, God is with me, all the time, rain or shine

God is always with me, God is always with me

And I’m fine, and I’m fine

My God Is So Great

My God is so great, so strong and so mighty,

There’s nothing my God cannot do!

      (repeat)

The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handiwork, too

My God is so great, so strong and so mighty,

There’s nothing my God cannot do!

Short-term songs:

Moses’ Mother  (tune Ten Little Indians)

Mother put Moses in the basket,  Mother put Moses in the basket

Mother put Moses in the basket, And put it in the river.

Moses floated down the Nile (or river),   Moses floated down the Nile,

Moses floated down the Nile, In his basket boat.

The princess pulled the basket out,  The princess pulled the basket out

The princes pulled the basket out,  And there was baby Moses!

September, 2011

Nature Walk Wreath:  The end product -- a one-of-a-kind door decoration -- is certainly special, but the best part of this project is the "collecting walk." This homemade wreath is an ideal group project -- each family member gets a chance to contribute, and there's no wrong way to do it.

Materials

• Nature objects you've gathered on a walk (dried leaves, acorns, seedpods, pinecones, twigs, etc.)
• Large grapevine wreath (available at garden centers) or individual small ones

• Floral wire
• Glue gun

Instructions

1. Take your family for a stroll through a neighborhood park or any nearby nature spot to gather whatever catches your eye.
2.  Back at home, invite everyone to arrange their finds on a large grapevine wreath, or provide individual small ones to serve as take-home keepsakes.
3. Twigs, stems, and larger items can be woven into the grapevine or secured with floral wire. A parent can affix small items such as acorns or pebbles with a glue gun. Hang the finished product proudly -- it should last until spring.

Apple Pancakes: (serves 4)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large apple, cored and sliced thinly
5 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

1) Preheat oven to 400.  In a 10-inch oven safe skillet, melt the butter and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over medium heat.  Add apple slices; cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

2)  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, milk, cinnamon, salt and remaining tablespoon of brown sugar.  Pour batter slowly over cooked apple mixture.  Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until pancake is dark golden brown, sent in the center, and puffed around the edges, about 15 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar (optional) and serve!

MomSense: Separation Anxiety - For Mom and Child

Whether we welcome it or not, the reality is that moms cannot be with their children twenty-four hours a day. The time comes to drop them off at MOPPETS, or in the church nursery, or at preschool or daycare. Separation can be difficult for both mom and child, but it is an important part of the growing up process.
If you or your child is exhibiting anxiety or having trouble settling into a new routine, try these suggestions to ease the transition:

• Visit his classroom together to meet his teacher and see where he will be staying.
• Plan to arrive at your child’s classroom a few minutes early, so that you’re not rushing when you say goodbye.
• When you drop your child off, don’t linger. Give her a quick hug and kiss, reassure her that you will be back, and leave. Ask the classroom teacher or assistant to give her extra attention and distraction for those first few minutes after you leave.
• If your child is a baby, play peek-a-boo or similar games to reassure him that whenever Mom “disappears,” she always comes back.
• Give your child verbal praise when she exhibits courage or takes those first few steps toward independence (even if your heart is breaking at your “baby” growing up.)
• Leave a lipstick kiss on the top of your child’s hand that she will be able to look at while she’s away from you.
• Don’t fuel an older preschooler’s fears by telling him that you’re scared or uneasy about the separation, even if you are.
• Stay occupied after you drop off your child — get together with a girlfriend on the first day of school, chat with your MOPS Discussion Group or call your mother. Keeping yourself occupied will help pass the time, and the support will do your heart good.
• Take older preschoolers out for a treat after the first day in a new classroom to debrief and celebrate. 
• If you find yourself struggling with letting go, journal through your thoughts — you may be able to better sort through your thoughts, and it will be a wonderful memoir of those special milestones in your child’s — and your — life.

Upcoming Events:

October 28th - Clothing Exchange

November 18th - Toy Exchange

Next Meetings: 

October 7th

October 28th

November 4th (back to back with Oct. 28)

Needs: We still need craft table leaders!  Please consider volunteering to be a part of this fun and creative team.  For more information, please contact Andrea or Kat!

MomSense