A MOPS Story: the Power of Intention

/ / area coach, encourage, God, impact, investment, leader, loneliness, mentor, moms, MOPS Story, motherhood, Spotlight, struggle
Here’s a story of a mom not unlike some you’ve heard before, but it’s worth telling. This mom was struggling; she wrestled with fear and self-doubt and sat in a place of “am I enough?” as a woman, wife and mom. On the outside, no one would have known she struggled this way. She was the woman who never met a stranger and made sure everyone in her life knew how much she loved them. She was active in her church and had known the Lord her whole life, but still, she struggled every day with loneliness and to be ...
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Do These 6 Things to Improve Your Child’s Speech

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How to accelerate your child’s key developmental milestone: language Helping toddlers expand their language skills. Consider these tips for nurturing your child’s language skills, regardless of age (5 weeks or 5 years old): Listen to ...
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2 Things To Do Instead of Reward or Punish Your Kids

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Should I use the carrot or the stick? You’re asking the wrong question. Many of us were raised under a system of punishments versus rewards. Good behavior results in the carrot, bad behavior results in ...
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Yoga Exercises With Your Toddler

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SILLY TO CALM WARM-UP: Circle, Jog, Freeze & Melt This is a great way to expend a little extra energy and warm up little bodies before doing yoga. Put your mats in a circle, or ...
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The Journey of Motherhood

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After years of lugging both babies and bags down Terminal 5, the most amazing thing happened: all three of my children walked the long journey from the O’Hare airport security checkpoint to the gate. Yes, ...
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There’s Freedom in School Choice

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“Scoot together and say cheese!” I said, pointing the camera in their direction. The girls scrunched their bodies closer, chocolate dripping from their chins, doing their best to control their silliness long enough for a ...
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Art of the Apology

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I was engaged once before Brian, well, more like one and a half times, but I will leave that detail packed up for another day. Anyway, he and I used to have epically long “fights.” ...
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Boycott Mom-Shaming

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Mom-shaming begins as far back as conception of our little people. “Did you conceive naturally? Did you go through fertility treatments? Use a surrogate? Adoption?” It continues through birth. “Did you get an epidural? C-section?
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The Three Elements to Transformation

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If you know anything about building a fire, you know it takes three elements for a fire to burn: a fuel source (e.g. wood, gasoline, plastic, etc.), heat (like a spark from a lighter), and ...
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Second Grade Dreams

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Some kids dream about growing up to become athletes, singers or doctors. Me? I dreamt about college. I recall with great detail the day when my second grade teacher talked to our class about what ...
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MOPS International Statement of Faith

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MOPS International has been made aware of a new blog and companion podcast posted this week criticizing MOPS’ theology. We are saddened that these Christian bloggers did not contact us directly with their concerns. Solid ...
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Scales and Arpeggios

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Growing up, I took several years of piano lessons and my least favorite part was practicing my scales. It seemed so tedious. Did it really have a purpose? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txx9D-8ubdg Turns out there was a purpose ...
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Slingshot Fun

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"We have to reinvent fun back into our American society or we are going to serious ourselves to death." - Alice Cooper https://vimeo.com/271905836 The MOPS International staff taking a much-needed fun break from the work ...
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A MOPS Story: the Power of Intention

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Here’s a story of a mom not unlike some you’ve heard before, but it’s worth telling. This mom was struggling; she wrestled with fear and self-doubt and sat in a place of “am I enough?” ...
» READ MORE

Do These 6 Things to Improve Your Child’s Speech

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How to accelerate your child’s key developmental milestone: language Helping toddlers expand their language skills. Consider these tips for nurturing your child’s language skills, regardless of age (5 weeks or 5 years old): Listen to ...
» READ MORE

2 Things To Do Instead of Reward or Punish Your Kids

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Should I use the carrot or the stick? You’re asking the wrong question. Many of us were raised under a system of punishments versus rewards. Good behavior results in the carrot, bad behavior results in ...
» READ MORE

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When My Five-Year-Old Evicted Jesus From His Heart

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It was bedtime and it was my turn to tuck the little man in. We usually lay down with him for about 10 minutes before he sleeps. He uses that time wisely to ask for ...
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How’s the View

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At a local coffee shop on a recent Saturday morning, I sat at a round table cradling a coffee mug and gabbing with friends. The café buzzed with activity, and our table mirrored the energy of ...
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A Mom’s Story: Why Do I MOPS?

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I MOPS because I was a mom with a toddler, a marriage looking at its tomb, and a freshly emptied womb. I was 12 weeks pregnant when I lost my second baby and gained a depression ...
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