mom2mom Update

Hi friends and mighty moms, I just wanted to let you all know that as of today (11/3/08) mom2mom will no longer be hosting monthly meetings. Due to the lack of sustained demand for monthly mom2mom meetings, I will be focusing my efforts on encouraging and equipping moms on a one on one basis. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts as I made this difficult decision. I pray that you would each continue to be an encouragement to the moms you interact with on a daily basis, but most importantly, I pray that you would endeavor to become the best mom you can be for your own family. May the God of all grace bless you abundantly on your mission of motherhood.

Blessings
Julie

Gracing Each Other Out

Just yesterday I had a chance to grace out a mom and it reminded me of how many times I have been the recipient of someone else's graciousness. I define grace as unmerited favor, in essence, being blessed when I don't deserve it. Yesterday, as I was traveling home from a mommy getaway, I was delayed for well over an hour. As I sat in the airport, I watched the mom of a rambunctious toddler chase her child. Round and round and round the waiting area she went following her little guy. Each time she "caught up" he would scream his dismay at being redirected. As I watched, I remembered how often I chase my own little ones as we travel just hoping to appease them and avert tantrums. As she boarded the plane this mom was exhausted, tired, and was probably not looking forward to entertaining a toddler on a 2 hour flight in a cramped airplane seat. As I boarded the plane, I was beginning to grumble to myself about my seat assignment and how I really should have paid more attention so I would not have been stuck with the middle seat. Well guess whose row I was in? Guess who I was sitting next to? I guess my mommy getaway had worked. I was relaxed, poised, and full of grace. As I sat down the mom said, "I am so sorry you have to next to us." I replied, "No worries, I have two little boys of my own." The flight was full and there were no empty seats and I was truly happy with my seat. I missed my kids and the little boy was just as busy and loud as my own little guys. He wiggled, giggled, and played until he fell in to a gentle slumber. As we deplaned the mom said, "Thanks so much." My response was, " No problem, I was glad to help."

Hopefully I will have a chance to grace someone else out very soon. So take a moment and look for ways to provide grace to a mom you know, or better yet to a complete stranger.

Quote of the Week

Cherish the season of motherhood you're in...whether babies, preschoolers, school age, or teens. Unlike the seasons outside your window, the seasons of motherhood never return-except in our memories. -Mary Steinke

A dose of encouragement...

Keep Going!
You are doing a great job!
Awesome!
Way to go!

"Woohoo- your kids think you are great"
"Yeah"
"Fantastic"

Just some friendly encouragement to keep going, keep striving. Enjoy the time you have with your kids. Look for opporutnities to mother. Mothering matters, you matter, your kids matter and even though they do not always show it...they are proud to have you as their mom.

Keep in mind "mothering" is a VERB! Be blessed with the mess;)

Quote of the Week

"A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary."
Dorothy Canfield Fisher

mom2mom tomorrow night

Hey don't miss the chance to get some encouragement and fellowship with other moms. mom2mom's first meeting of the fall is tomorrow night 7PM at Christ Episcopal Church (382 Boblett) in Blaine. If you have questions or need directions call 366-3435 or e-mail Julie at falconemomma@hughes.net Hope to see you there!

Quote of the Week

"There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one." Jill Churchill

(New) Kitchen Appliances

An entire set of (new) kitchen appliances were delivered through our back garage door this afternoon and I was totally surprised. A fridge, a stove, and a dishwasher all made their way into our home and the shrieks of delight were shared by all. Granted, they are not fresh off the showroom floor and they probably wouldn't even make the cut for the scratch and dent tent but who doesn't love getting something new? In fact, I didn't even blink when my husband told me they were aluminum instead of stainless and who really cares if avocado is no longer an "in" color? We'll just call it sage green and everything will be up to date. Unfortunately, the fridge did not fit in the kitchen, the oven door flies open, and some knobs are missing but I think my dear hubby can fix all that.

All that matters, at least to our 2 year old, is that now he can cook like mom. You see he has inherited the kitchen set I was blessed with more than 30 years ago. The set my grandpa Pete lovingly screwed together with his pocket knife, the set my daughter made me breakfast on and the set my son (who loved to cook but loved his cars more) stored his cars in. Someday even my g-kids may have the opportunity to cook for me on this dated but sturdy set. Oh, I have to run, I'm being called to dinner. Looks like peanut butter on plastic bread with a side of invisible mustard is on the menu tonight. Bon Appetit!

Zeekee's new era

Zeekee entered a new era today, he found Legoland at Target. Mind you this was quite a moment in my mom life. Silly as it may seem I was actually grieved (no I did not cry, this time) when he passed the Thomas the Tank engine aisle in search for something that went Smash & Crash. After testing many toys (fyi-toys seem louder this year than they ever have been), he rounded the end cap and entered the Lego aisle. He was in awe. He completely ignored the Duplos for the smaller packages and zeroed in on the Creator packs. In a matter of milliseconds he was hooked and to be honest, so was I. So here we sit at the kitchen table, creating. We are having a blast, I am amazed at his ability to transfer information from a picture to an actual product. It is a first and I am sure it will not be a last. Today Lego's at the kitchen table. Tomorrow? Who knows, maybe an engineer like his grandpa Dave.

What is mom2mom...

Mom2mom is a non-denominational group of women devoted to encouraging and equipping moms in every season of motherhood. The group consists of working, work at home, and homeschooling moms and meets each month on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM at Christ Episcopal Church (382 Boblett) in Blaine. Childcare is not provided.

Julie Falcone is the founder and leader, who, over the course of the past 19 years, has found herself in a variety of seasons as a mom from teenage mom to working mom and so on. Her goal is to use her mom experiences, successful and otherwise, to encourage moms to be the best moms they can be for their families. She believes strongly that: children are special gifts, ALL mothers work, and mothering matters -because being a mom is not just a job; it's a JOY!

If you would like more information contact Julie at 366-3435 or falconemomma@hughes.net

Meat Market Deals

So I was at the market today looking for NY strip steak and since I had no idea what to look for I asked for help. The butcher was so helpful and when I inquired about the price the butcher told me that the meat was still marked with the sale price from last week's ad. Hooray! Since prices change every Wednesday at the market, I was able to buy steak for my husband's foray with the likes of Bobby Flay for $2 less per pound. Anyway it got me thinking that if the steak was still priced from last week then what about the other meats? As I perused the pork, I noticed there were still packages available with last week's price in the cut I was looking for. Just thought all you other moms would like to know that Wednesday is the day to shop for meat at the market. Price savings from 2 ad weeks in only one trip. What a blessing!

Almost a dozen cookies

Have you ever eaten almost a dozen cookies? In the span of 45 minutes, before 9am? Well this morning I decided I needed to get a care package off to my daughter who left for college 3 weeks ago. So before preschool, before I had even had breakfast - I got out the mixer and decided to make a double batch using her favorite cookie recipe. Well let me tell you things got a bit out of hand and I found myself reminiscing about all the times she and I had made cookies and well I started snacking; first on the dough and then on the cookies that came out of the oven. Never mind the fact that the more I ate, the less I could ship. I guess I had a bit of mamma drama (as my daughter would call it) and fell to my comfort- yummy sweets! Nevertheless, as the boys were occupied with a Thomas DVD, I did manage to bake, wrap, and pack my daughter's favorite treats. Needless to say if I keep this up I'll be the one gaining the freshman 15!

Bloom....

Years ago as a new and very young mom, I bought a small garden chic sign. It was on hard rough wood and had a sunflower painted on it. Even now I can look in my mind's eye and see that sign. I'm sure I paid less than $5 for the sign but in return it blessed me with a lifetime of wisdom.

It said simply, "Bloom, where you are planted!"

Each time I saw the sign it gave me the message I needed. It told me that regardless of my circumstances, I needed to make the best of what I did have. I needed to dig down deep, give it my all, enjoy today and BLOOM!