Fun Summer Game

Water-Balloon Baseball
When the ball's full of water, every hit makes a splash.
From Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

What You Need:
Batter's all wet!
Water balloons; make a lot before the game begins so there's not a break in the action
Baseball bat or whiffle-ball bat
Enough outdoor space for setting up the playing field


Instructions:
1. Divide players into two teams and take turns batting and fielding as usual. Rather than calling strikes, you may want to change batters after a certain number of swings, and switch places whenever all the players on the at-bat team have had a turn at the plate.
2. Give each team a point for every balloon they break.
3. The outfielders won't have much to field, but they can try to tag the runners before they get to base.

I thought this game looked like a BLAST! We will definitely be trying it this summer!

moppet workers and mentor moms

Today was the moppet worker appreciation brunch. WHAT would we do without them. I know...we would have no MOPS. The ministry these women share with our children is invaluable. The time and patience and love these women (and men) give astounds me. We need to feel particularly lucky, because not every group is as blessed as we are. MOPS simply wouldn't run without you. Our mentor mom Joan...no words, simply no words. How could we imagine our lives without Joan having touched them. Thanks for showing us the light at the end of the tunnel. I meant to take a few pics at the brunch this morning and it absolutely escaped me. I really needed a reason to post this picture of Lynda in all of her western garb from convention anyway! You guys are unbelievable. Thanks for sharing and being in our lives.

who knew?

Who knew Marthat Stewart did a kids site and magazine?! I had no idea! I found some of the cutest ideas for crafts, cakes, and parties! Morgan turns 7 this week and I still needed a few extra things for her party. I wish I would have found this site earlier! If any of you have favorite sites, crafts, tips, etc. let me know so that we can share them more easily. Martha Stewart...kids...who knew?

Worth of a Stay at Home Mom

Sorry about the change of backround. I was having issues with the HTML template (blah blah blah). This one should work better! Anyway...

I heard about this story on the news last night and thought you girls might get a kick out of it. This sure makes my $60,000 education seem a little more worth it! My opinion, of course, is that we are PRICELESS! So...when do we pick up our paycheck? Do hugs and kisses count as currency?


Updated: 1:03 p.m. ET May 2, 2005
NEW YORK - The old adage that “a mother's work is never done” remains as true now as ever. Today's stay-at-home moms are learning what their predecessors always knew — they'd be making a lot of money doing their job outside the home.
Just in time for Mother's Day, an informal study conducted by Web site Salary.com shows that stay-at-home moms would earn an average of $131,471 annually, including overtime, if they received a paycheck.
A sampling of the 5.4 million stay-at-home mothers were asked to come up with job titles that fit a general description of their daily routines.

The titles — which reflected the most time-consuming parts of their day — include day-care center teacher, van driver, housekeeper, cook, chief executive officer, nurse and general maintenance worker, the survey showed.
Of course, a stay-at-home parent does not work typical office hours. The hypothetical median salary is based on a 100-hour work week and assumes caring for at least two children of school age.
“The importance of this calculation or this estimate is just calling attention to the fact that being a stay-at-home mom is not a cop out, it's not the woman's way out of the work force and it's not a job of no value,” said Bill Coleman, senior vice president of compensation at Salary.com. “There is a lot of value there, and some would say it's even priceless.”
Salary.com, which tracks what jobs pay, suggested that the annual base pay for a 40-hour stay-at-home mom's workweek would be $43,461. Mothers would earn an additional $88,009 a year for 60 hours of overtime each week.
“I think I should definitely make that much,” said Joanna Butti, who stays at home to care for her twin boys. “It's a hard job.”
Coleman said feedback on the figure was mixed. Some felt mothers deserved more, some less. In general, though, many were pleased to see a figure above $100,000.
“Stay-at-home moms are enthusiastic and upbeat about their jobs, they didn't seem to need external validation,” Coleman told Reuters. “They were also happy that they were getting attention, and that somebody was out there telling the world that what they do is valuable, and perhaps more valuable than one would expect.”
Mothers said you cannot attach a figure to the time spent with their kids.
“I'm giving 150 percent of myself to them many hours a day,” said Debra Miley, who stays home with two-year old daughter Olivia and four-month old son Gregory. “You cannot attach a dollar value to the time that you spend nurturing your child if you're lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom.”

AMEN SISTERS!!!!!!

What do you think?

So guys, what do you think? Is this a format we may want to use for the future? I think we could make it pretty cool. I think the meeting yesterday went well. The talent was great and the skit was a riot! I don't know the exact figures, but the silent auction went well. Thanks for all the help, especially Tracy and Renae. The auction is always such a huge undertaking. I thought it would be a good idea for us all to read this every once in a while. It is who we are...and I'm proud to be a part of it!

first post

This is a first test post for the Covenant Baptist Church Mother's of Preschooler's group. I hope that this will help with communication and be a fun way to stay in touch!