Plaaaaaaaaay Group!

Sometimes I feel like playgroup is for me... mommy. I mean, I know it's for the kids to get together and play, but... 1. I get up, take a shower, and get ready for the day (fix my hair, put makeup on, and wear nice clothes & jewelry), instead of staying in my PJs half the day, and looking disheveled; 2. I actually get to have an adult conversation, not just "no", "are you stinky?", "can you count to 20/say your ABC's/hand me your cup" etc... etc...; 3. and another benefit- other mommys help me out with my other children when I'm dealing with one of my kids, instead of me going it alone- what a blessing! See what I mean? It makes me feel like a "person", not just a feeding, changing, disciplining, cookin', cleaning machine. I never knew what I was missing until I went to playgroup a few years ago. For my mommy friends who read this- do yourself a favor and go to a playgroup!!

Well, today was our 1st MOPS playgroup in Rockwall, TX. I had to drive over a half hour to get there. That wasn't really fun, since I'm used to just driving 5 minutes to the park or a friend's house over in Las Cruces. However, we really, really enjoyed ourselves!! The MOPS coordinator is in our group, and has a huge, lovely home out in the country, and welcomed us over for playtime. Once Wesley found a Spiderman mask, he turned into Spiderman for the morning, along with 3 or 4 of the other boys. lol  Justin found tons of toys to entertain himself with- he has the ability to focus with one toy for a while, which annoyed one of the other little boys a bit who wanted to play with the same toys. yikes! :) Aliyah was admired by most of the mommies since she was the only girl out of 9 children. She's such a socialite! I got the chance to enjoy some mommy conversation, and get to know a few other moms.

It wasn't that same feeling as I had with my former group- - acceptance- - not yet. They all know each other, except me. I'm sure with time that'll change. It felt a little strange, although not strained. I've been praying hard for months now that God will give me the opportunity to make a friend in this group. I have my ideas of who might end up being a friend, but you just never know, do you? I remember the first time I attended MOPS 4 years ago... I didn't make any long-lasting friendships that first year. It wasn't until the 2nd year that I made some significant relationships, but the acquaintances I'd had from the year before really opened up to friendships that year, too. I'm praying it doesn't take me quite that long since I have no connections here in Texas yet. I'm praying that God will shut my mouth when I don't need to chatter about things that aren't relavent; that I will be able to open myself up to others when it's the right time; that there will be other moms who *need* friends, because it's harder to make friends when you're working with people who have their friends in place, and aren't really looking for additional people in their lives.

I'm also hoping that I'll get an opportunity to be a blessing to others... I'm not really sure how that will happen right now. It's just in my heart. One of the missionaries at our mission's conference this year said that if you're feeling pretty low and have got obstacles you're facing, look for someone else who's got even bigger problems, and try to be a blessing to them. It takes your focus off yourself, and allows you to receive the blessing of helping someone else. I want that! So I'm praying for it. :) Well, I've had lots to say in this post about play group. lol I think I rambled a bit. oh well!
Blessings! -Sarah