Volume

1 Issue 6

February 2012

A monthly publication of Yokota MOPS

Sparkle on the Inside

By Tricia Goyer

How do I look, Mommy? My three-year-old daughter gazed up at me with big brown eyes, anticipating my response. With her curly hair and sweet little smile, she looked like a perfect angel to me. You look beautiful today, honey. I pulled her into a squeeze. But your joy on the inside is especially sparkly this morning. After all Leslie joined in as we said the words together, whats in the heart is the prettiest part. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, Your beauty should not come from outward adornmentinstead it should be that part of your inner self. Because we live in a world obsessed with physical appearance, its important to teach children the importance of inner beauty at an early age. (Especially when we ourselves struggle with this concept!) Its easy for us to remember to comment on our childs outer beauty. (They are adorable!) But also remember to praise traits such as kindness, honesty, and obedience. Admiring these things will show your toddler that actions allow inner beauty to shine. Later that same day, I watched my daughter draw a picture to share with a friend. The sparkle of joy in her eyes hinted at the love in her heart. It was true beauty indeedand I let her know.

HA P PY B IRTHD AY T O A LL T H E B IR TH D AY B AB E S & B AB IES ! B irthd ay Ba be s Rebecca Morain {2/8} Jennifer Santellan {2/8} B irthd ay Ba bi es Isabella Atkinson {2/6} Brooke Paschal {2/18} Kennedy Postelmans {2/19} NE XT M O P S M E ETING Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? Fun & Effective Traveling Techniques March 20, 2012 9:30 am 12:00 pm Traditional Chapel S T EE RING T E AM
Laurie Schmaus, Co-Coordinator Laura Middleton, Co-Coordinator Amanda Romero, Finance Morgan Burchette, Registration Lisa Howell, Hospitality Carol High, Discussion Group Sarah Larson, Creative Activities Heather Gerold, MOPPETS Maricel Johns, Publicity

Thats the thing about inner beauty. Unlike physical beauty, which grabs the spotlight for itself, inner beauty shines on everyone, catching them, holding them in its embrace, making them more beautiful, too.
-Lisa Yates

Tips for Emphasizing Inner Beauty

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Admire a sparkly heart and good attitude. Use a mirror to show your child the loveliness of his smile and the brightness in his eyes, the inner beauty coming out. When your child seeks a compliment about her physical appearance, also compliment a kind action. Pray with your child each morning asking God to give him a sparkly heart that loves others. Remind your child that shes a special creation designed by God, unique inside and out. After you read a story, compare the characters. Who should inner goodness and who did not? Finally, be an example of inner beauty for your toddler, modeling the concept: Whats in the heart is the prettiest part!

yokotamops.org Yokota MOPS

Monkeys in a Barrel: Jelly Bean Prayer

Last year, our kids were 3, 4, and 6, and we felt 40 days to give up one thing was a bit long for them. We came up with this idea instead to go along with the jelly bean prayer, and it was a hit at our house. The kids are excited to do it again this year. On Ash Wednesday, we set out a glass jar for each child with a small copy of the jelly bean prayer taped to it. We determined a behavior to go with each jelly bean color (corresponding with the prayer). Each day the kids could earn a jelly bean of any color they followed through on. They could not eat the jelly beans until Easter. The kids could not earn white jelly beans as these represented the grace of Christ, which is a gift not earned ourselves. On Easter morning, the kids woke to find their jars filled up. This is how we interpreted each color. You can make your own ideas based on ages and needs of your children. RED is for the blood Christ gave. (Each morning we chose something to sacrifice that day to earn the red jelly bean. It had to be something they would have had the opportunity to have or do on that day.) GREEN is for the grass he made. (Green jelly beans were earned for good deeds.) YELLOW is for the sun so bright. (Yellow jelly beans were earned for sharing Gods light through kindness to others.) ORANGE is for the edge of night. (Orange jelly beans were earned for attentive behavior during bedtime prayer time and nighttime bible story.) BLACK is for the sins we made. (We earned these through apologizing to anyone we hurt with our words or actions that day.) WHITE is for the grace He gave. PURPLE is for His hour of sorrow. (Purple jelly beans were earned for assisting others in need.) PINK is for our new tomorrow. (Pink jelly beans were earned when we forgave those who apologized to us for hurtful behavior.) A bag full of jelly beans colorful and sweet, is a prayer, a promise, is a special treat. May the joy of Christs resurrection fill your heart and bless your heart.
Credit: Jelly Bean PrayerOne Familys Experience Shared by the H Family. http://www.catholicmom.com/Lent_jelly.htm. The Jelly Bean Prayer by Shirley Kozak.

Hungry Hungry Hippos: Kin g Cake

Cake Filling 1 cup m ilk 1/3 cup melted butter 1 large egg cup sugar 4 cups bread flour 2 tsp ground cinnamon 4 T sugar tsp ground nutmeg tsp salt 5 T butter (cut in 4 pieces) 2 tsp yeast 1) Make dough in pan of bread of machine. Microwave milk for 1 minute. Pour milk and egg into pan of bread maker. Add bread flour, sugar, and salt to pan. Tap pan to settle ingredients. Level ingredients, m aking sure mixture is in corners of pan. Place butter in corners of pan. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients; put yeast into center of dry ingredients. Lock pan into bread maker. Program for DOUGH. Start bread m aker. Watch to see that dough forms add more flour, if needed (if no window on bread maker, check after 5 minutes). When dough cycle is finished, remove dough from bread maker and place on floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Divide dough into 2 equal-sized pieces, then let rest, covered, for 15 m inutes. 2) Roll each piece of dough into a rough rectangle. Both should be as close to the same size as possible. Brush m elted butter onto the dough to within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg mixture evenly over dough. Fold the dough to cover filling, sealing as you go. Repeat with second piece of dough. Twist dough pieces together. Form a circle by moving the ends of the dough. Pinch ends close to close circle. 3) Bake on parchment-paper-covered baking sheet in preheated 375 F oven for approximately 25 minutes, until golden brown. Tap bottom of loaf, it should sound hollow if done. 4) Cool thoroughly on wire rack. 5) Drizzle on powdered sugar icing. While is still wet, sprinkle on purple, green, and gold decorative sugar.

Notes