I Found My People!

We have just returned from our first MOPS meeting and there is some bad news to report: it's every other week, not every week. Looks like I'll have to be a seven morning mom after all (but only every other week). There were lots of nice people; it seems to be largely military but from all branches (one of my tablemates is a Coast Guard wife. I believe that is my first official Coast Guard encounter and I, of course, had to mention that we recently watched The Guardian and she said her former neighbor has a small speaking role in it. I almost know famous people!) Wyatt did his standard monkey impersoniation when I dropped him off - you know, the one where he clings and climbs me so that I don't even have to keep my hands on him yet he's still, somehow, in my arms - and cried, but then they told me he was fine the whole time. I don't know, I thought he looked as though he'd been crying fairly recently but it was hard to judge since he started bawling at the sight of me. That, by the way, is a lovely greeting. Waaaahhhhh! No mama, no smile, nothing pleasant. Just wailing and more clinging. But he was all smiles and chatter on the way home, so I'm confident he's not traumatized.

This session is about the home and it's been broken down room by room, I guess with creative and helpful ways to make your home more pleasant. And since MOPS is a Christian organization, there is an attempt to bring it back to God. It's a nice attempt, but I'm not really sure it's working for them. Although today's lesson talked about using the creativity given by God to make our homes a welcoming place for others, just like God wants us to always feel welcome and it immediately made me think of my friend, Kari. Her house was always so serene and comfortable. Maybe she's figured out the whole God/house connection (knowing her, this is no surprise) and if that's the deal, she should be in one of these MOPS dvd's. The lady today was making the effort, but we were all so distracted by her use of BOLD FLORAL WALLPAPER in the kitchen and her BOLD FLORAL CURTAINS in the living room and her UGLY, BIG SHELVES in the master bedroom and her the-basement-drywall-was-damaged-so-we-mixed-straw-from-a-bale-of-hay-with-some-drywall-compound-and-spackled-it-on-there-so-now-it's-ALL-bumpy-and-strawy technique that I think the message got a little sidetracked. And she had two big Jayhawks in her house - one on the refrigerator and one in her son's room - so then I was distracted looking for some indication of where they live. (sidenote: I saw a woman in the parking lot with a K-State license plate and had to wonder if she noticed the Jayhawks, too.) I was so relieved that no one else thought the dvd was particularly helpful, either. We were all equally appalled at the suggestion of wallpaper, so I think these might be my new best friends.

The food was good and the conversation was fun and we played Pictionary, too. Plus (yes, it gets even better!) there's a MOPS special day thingy coming up at a local spa and I snagged a spot from someone who can no longer go. Sorry, Summer, that you have another more altruistic commitment, but thanks for the massage and mani appointment! In short, I had a very academic morning and am starting to feel like the next few months will be better than anticipated.