Welcome to MOPS New Zealand’s

MUM-e-Mail

- a newsletter to enthuse, educate, and entertain
mothers of pre-schoolers and their supporters

October 2004

Mothering Maxim  -  Each day is a miracle

If I do not take time to play, pray, read, cuddle, hang out, go walking, talk, sing and dance, or laugh with my children, who will?

Mum Moment - Spring Cleaning: a myth or a must?

My 6 year old daughter thinks with the start of daylight savings that it’s now summer. “Spring is a short season, Mummy” was her observation the morning after the clock change.

Maybe that’ll release me from the traditional Spring Clean, but does anyone worry about that anymore? I’d say they do, judging by the number of sites on the Internet that encourage you to get organised using the Mt. Vernon Method or to spend an hour per day with assigned tasks like Monday: decluttering, Tuesday: dusting, Wednesday: vacuuming, Thursday: scrubbing, Friday: organizing and rearranging, Saturday: laundering, Sunday: decorating. I choke to think that women actually ‘do’ their days like this, but then I’m a messie - one of those souls for whom house cleaning is not the top priority.

You see, my children are pretty important to me. So they’re allowed to cut cupboard and make constructions all over the kitchen floor. They colour in and glue. In the lounge the car road mats are set up surrounded by 50 little vehicles. Bom bom bom … in comes the 4 year olds helicopter to land. The pilot barely clears the slowing rotors than a 737 flies in overhead and lands on the versatile road/airport tarmac. The music plays in the background while my 6 year old daughter flutters around in her butterfly wings being the Sugar Plum Fairy. Homeschooling also adds to the wonderful creative ‘clutter’ in our home.

But do I look concerned? The children participate in ‘clean up’ at about 4pm each day. The papers go into their file drawer or the rubbish bin. The clothes approximately get into the required drawer. The bed can be found and has had a little person pull it up to the best of their ability.

Mums, keep your eyes on the Big Picture. Your time with your little children will go quickly. Smell the roses with them. Encourage them to be creative and active. Create a wonderful and safe environment for them to explore. This could be the best ‘job’ you’ll ever have.

Now, where is that mop? I saw it here last year!

by Johanna Whittaker for MOPS (NZ) Inc.

From A Mother’s Heart -

Enjoy your children while you can. Enjoy your children while you can. Enjoy, cuddle, nurse, laugh, play, gaze at in wonder, spend time with your children.

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You are welcome to forward this MUM-e-Mail in its entirety to your friends, mothers of pre-schoolers and their supporters. If your friend has forwarded this to you and you wish to subscribe, it's easy. Click on this hyperlink and send blank e-mail to:  mum-e-mail-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

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Mum's Mail -

The best thing to do in Spring is …

You're invited to complete this sentence and reply to mumemail@... [you could click on this hyperlink and do it now?]. We'll publish responses in a couple of weeks - next time in MUM-e-Mail.

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MOPS Celebrate! Saturday 13 November 10am-1pm at Vaughn Park Retreat Centre, Long Bay, Auckland. $15 includes refreshments and lunch. Reply soon to Nickie Sheehan, 09-410.2291, sheehans@....

MOPS NZ - mopsnz@...        MOPS Au - www.mops.org.au

Check out the regularly changing  www.mops.org for locations of global MOPS groups, mum’s forums, MOMSense radio transcripts [free subscription], courses, etc.

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... from  last week:  The best thing about being a parent is …

…It is a job God assigns two people, husband and wife, to accomplish, and through parenting, we get to know each other better.  -  Kitty Chow, Brisbane

… having cuddles and kisses every day. – Hope Pilgrim, NZ

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Mum – Etc - Snippets and e-bits that may interest you …
[these websites and all their contents are not necessarily endorsed by MOPS NZ]

Bin Inn - http://www.bininn.co.nz/bakingFrameset.htm - bread making

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOPSNZ - a free place waiting for you to join in and chat about things to do with mothering preschool children. Needs a few people (lots?) to subscribe and start the process off – for all mothers of preschoolers especially in NZ and Australia. Send a blank e-mail to: MOPSNZ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Blessings For Life – http://www.blessingsforlife.com/topicindex.htm - scroll down for a bit of everything. Titus Women, chocolate recipes, cleaning organising, exercise & fitness…

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Enjoy your children today … and thank you for reading MUM-e-Mail, 

 Johanna Whittaker

mumemail@...

on behalf of MOPS (NZ) Inc.

© 2004 by MOPS New Zealand Inc and MOPS International.