Kisses Events

Thirteenth Meeting - May 11
"Life: When the rules of the game change for the summer will you be ready?"
Just when you think you have all the rules down in this game called "Life", summer comes along and all the rules change. Will you be ready? Will you have activities for your kids to do? Friends to call on those days when you need someone to meet for an impromptu playdate? Come join us as we make busy bags and make some summer plans to connect at local playgrounds and eateries.

Twelfth Meeting - Apr 27
"Hot Potato: Disciplining with Love and Logic"
Want to maintain sanity while raising healthy, well-adjusted children? We'll tackle the 'Hot Topic' of disciplining our kids this week, with parenting coach expert Ellen Schuknecht. We'll learn how to choose our battles and how to offer boundaries, while ensuring that they grow into responsible teens and adults.

Speaker Bio: Ellen Schuknecht currently serves as the "Dean of Family Ministries" at Veritas Academy, where she mentors parents, teachers and students on a daily basis. Her experience teaching and mentoring includes 34 years combined in both public and private education. She and her husband, Glen, offer support to families through their website, www.familywings.org, by providing answers and resources for common issues in families today.

Eleventh Meeting - Mar 30
“Bunny Hop: Celebrating Easter with Energy”
Your little ones are getting excited as they see the candy and the carrots being displayed everywhere.  They have the energy to celebrate Easter!  But do you?  Come be energized by a simple, beautiful message given by Kat Cannon and a few ideas to make your family’s celebration meaningful.

Bio: Kat Cannon serves as the Women’s Ministry Director at First Evangelical Free Church (FEFC) in Austin, Texas.  She came up through the ranks of small group leaders, administrators, and steering committee membership over the course of 10 years to be appointed as the Director in April of 2010.  Her desire is to build relationships among women and with God - relationships that are REAL – transparent, authentic, and based on God’s truth.

Upcoming March Events:

Tenth Meeting - Mar 9
"Jenga: Balance and Organization"
Do you feel overwhelmed with the mail and kid's art stacking up in the kitchen? Do you ever wish you had a better system for laundry or storing outgrown kid's clothes? Need some basic principles for keeping organization a priority in your home and training your kids in this as well? Kelly Jedele, from LetKelly.com, will share tips and advice for keeping an organized home- from storing toys to the disheveled pantry. Come get inspired so we can spend less time looking for a matching shoe or sock and more time enjoying our families.


Bio: Kelly Jedele is the owner of LetKelly.com, a business where she connects personal assistants and cleaning help with the busy and over-burdened client. She has spent plenty of time filing papers, organizing closets and cleaning out toy boxes for clients. She is a single mom of a 9-year old daughter, an avid scrapbooking enthusiast, salsa dancer and triathlete. 

Ninth Meeting - Feb 17
"Choices: Options for Formal Education in Austin"
It seems like our little angels will stay little forever, but the truth is they grow fast! The first day of school will be here before you know it. What should you do to prepare your child? What types of schools are out there? Which one is right for my child? How will I know? What are some things I can do now, in the preschool years, to prepare for this fateful day? Come ponder all these things and more as we tackle the game of "Choices: Options for Formal Education in Austin". 

We will have a panel of 3-4 moms who have been where we are and survived! They will represent a variety of educational choices and will share with us from their experiences. Come hear Melinda Grace, Cynthia Christensen, Anne Franklin, and possibly others share their hearts on this timely topic. 

Friday, February 17, is a school holiday for many schools (AISD, as well as some private schools). If you have older children who will not be in school during our MOPS meeting, we will have a childcare room available for them. We would just ask that, if possible, you would donate a few dollars to help cover the cost of the extra childcare worker on that day. We don’t want one mom to miss this great meeting! Please e-mail laurenjasinski25@gmail.com ASAP to let her know how many elementary kiddos you'll be bringing. 

Eighth Meeting - Feb 3
"Taboo: Made for Intimacy"

After cleaning house, sweeping Cheerios three times a day, six loads of laundry (that I still haven't put up yet), how can I have energy to engage my husband in the evenings? We are very busy moms, but we have an important relationship to foster and grow besides the ones with our kids. Jamie Ivey will share how God has made us for intimacy and suggest ways we can stay connected emotionally with the important people in our lives, including our spouse.


Bio: Jamie Ivey lives in Austin with her husband, Aaron (worship pastor at The Austin Stone Community Church) and their four kids.   She's passionate about loving her husband, following Jesus, talking about adoption, and trying to be the best mom she can be to the four cutest kids in the world.  She loves family nights, reading a good book, and could eat Mexican food three times a day.  You can find her blogging at DreamingBigDreams.net, or on twitter @jamie_ivey.


Seventh Meeting: Jan. 20
"Hi Ho Cheery-O: Feeding Your Family Well"

It's the new year and healthy eating is on everyone's mind.  But it can all seem so overwhelming.  What should I eat?  What shouldn't I eat?  What should I feed my kids?  What should I not feed my kids?  Am I out of the running for 'Mother of the Year' if we hit the drive through or order a pizza?  Do you ever need someone to help you cut through the hype to determine what you really need to know?  Good news!  Friday our game focus is Hi Ho Cherry-O, feeding your family well.  We are delighted to have Allison Enke come to speak to us about healthy eating.  

Bio: Allison Enke serves as a registered dietitian on the Exclusive & Store Brands team at Whole Foods Market, providing nutritional guidance to the team as products are developed for the 365 Everyday Value® brand. Prior to joining Whole Foods Market, Ms. Enke provided nutritional counseling in a private practice setting, performed nutritional assessments for long term care facility residents and carried out recipe nutritional analyses for clients. When not working, Allison enjoys cooking, running, eating at new restaurants, church activities and spending time with her friends and family.

Sixth Meeting: Dec. 16
"Pictionary: Capturing Photos and Memories for Your Family" 
Join us for our last meeting of the semester and get equipped for capturing the sweet moments you'll have in the next few weeks. We'll learn how to take our amateur camera skills and still produce a picture with a gleam in our toddler's eye! Hear ideas for creating traditions with your pictures and some no-nonsense, simple ways to catalog them. Just in time for all those holiday family pictures you'll be taking!

Bio: After raising her own family of two kids (including our own MOPS friend, Traci Lepak) and pursuing various careers and volunteering, Deborah Jansa is now pursuing her personal passion for photography.  What began as a mere hobby grew quickly as others realized her natural talent for capturing beautiful moments with children and families.  Since becoming a professional photographer, Deborah has had her work published and has received several photography awards. When she's not working with clients, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, and doting on her 11 mos old grandson, Bru... all while taking pictures to capture each beautiful moment.
 
Fifth Meeting: Dec. 2
"Reindeer Games: Making Christmas memories together"
This week you can enjoy some extra connecting time with the ladies from your table! We'll hear from Olga Ingels, one of our mentor moms, on a few of her family's Christmas traditions and have some time to share our own with our discussion table. Don't forget we'll have our cookie exchange as well- please bring 3 dozen cookies or treats to share and an extra container to take home an assortment. We will also put the finishing touches on our Christmas stockings for the Bastrop fire victims. Please consider giving $5 to cover the costs of this service project. We look forward to starting off the Christmas season together!

Registration for the spring semester will start this Friday. Please plan to bring your check book so you can reserve your spot! All registrations must be complete by Friday, December 16, when we will open it up to the waiting list.

"Crafting for a Cause," Nov. 16
FEFC Community Hall, 7:30pm
Have fun on a "Mom's Night Out," but with a good reason too! We'll be making Christmas stockings for the Bastrop fire victims as we gather for a night away with some girlfriends. No matter what your crafting experience is, there's something you can do to help...from gluing on jingle bells, cutting fabric to sewing the stocking and stitching on appliques. And, enjoy meeting all the ladies from our MOPS Kisses group while enjoying some snacks. We will have a potluck snack and drink station to nibble while you visit and "get your craft on!"

All MOPS Activity - Fall Party in the FEFC Courtyard
Nov.11, 10am-noon
MOPS Hugs and MOPS Kisses will join together for a great fall party!

Bring all the kids and enjoy getting to know everyone involved with MOPS at FEFC.  Kids will have fun decorating pumpkins, playing games and especially getting to hold and pet the animals in our petting zoo! Pack a picnic and stay and play till noon.

No childcare will be provided this day. It's a "mommy and me" fall party!
$5/child (1yr and older), $10 max/family

Fourth Meeting: October 28
"Connect Four: Helping Kids Connect Bible truths to everyday life"
What can we do to help our children grow in their faith? Am I really qualified to teach my child spiritually? Amy Dobson will share tips for confidently leading your child in their understanding and application of the Bible. Whether we're having meal time, drive time, playground time, bed time...we'll leave with practical ideas for how to teach our kids to live a life of faith.

Bio: Amy Dobson, born and raised in Austin, attended Baylor University where she received her degree in Elementary Education.  She was a teacher for third, fourth and fifth grade students in Eanes and Round Rock ISDs prior to joining the staff of FEFC.  She has served as the Director of Children's Ministry since 2006 and recently has added Director of Special Needs Ministry to her title. In her spare time, Amy loves to cook, read, spend time on the lake with friends and hike.

Third Meeting - Oct 14
"Operation: Tending to the health of your child"
We will have two professionals from the health care industry sharing with us this week. Jennifer Ferrante will share with us as a Child Life Specialist and Holly Parker, who has been a pediatric nurse practitioner for over 11 years, will also share with us from her rich experiences.  Come ready to hear from these two ladies how we can best tend to the health of our children.

Bio: Holly has been a pediatric nurse practitioner for over 11 years serving children in many different areas of healthcare from the primary care setting to the intensive care unit. She recently served as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Duke University for 5 years and still serves as a Clinical Associate for Duke.  Ms. Parker has served on many national committees for the pediatrics and critical care. She will soon be working part time as a PNP with the Austin Diagnostic Clinic in their EasyCare program for after hours & weekend pediatric care, which is opening a new clinic in Parkside Village in Circle C late this fall. Her greatest blessings, however, are her husband of 4.5 years and her two-year-old daughter Savannah & one-year-old son Wyatt.

Second Meeting - September 30
"Chutes and Ladders: Surviving the ups and downs of life and marriage"
Dean Rush will offer us wise, spiritual counsel for facing dramatic and often unexpected change in our lives. Whether we deal with job loss, divorce or other personal and family crises, he will offer us valuable lessons for success that will guide us through the most formidable of life's tests.

Bio: After a distinguished career as a pilot during the Vietnam conflict and a subsequent successful career in aviation, Dean dealt with a series of his own challenges that he successfully faced with sound principles and unwavering faith. He has authored a book titled Flying Free: Life After Crisis, and is currently the executive pastor at First Evangelical Free Church. His wife Vickie serves as one of our mentor moms. He is a proud father and grandfather as well.

First Meeting - September 16
Our first meeting is coming up soon...are you excited?

We're going with a game theme this year and we're calling our first meeting "HEARTS". Come hear what the HEART of MOPS is and what exactly you've signed up for! :) Come ready to meet some new faces, get acquainted with your table members and have lots of fun getting to know one another! You'll enjoy hearing from one of our mentor moms, Melinda Grace, as well as my good friend Gail Mitchell, as they share what MOPS meant to them as young moms.
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