La Crescent
Notes and News
BETTER MOMS MAKE A BETTER WORLD.
Volume 2, Issue 2
Celebrations!
Five of our MOPS moms
have welcomed new
additions to their families
in the past two months.
Check out these new
MOPPETS!
Chloe Rose Wieser
(daughter of Emily and Ben)
was born on Sept. 2, 2008,
at 8:44 a.m. She weighed 7
lbs. 3 oz. and measured 19
inches long.
Audrey Bea Skaudis
(daughter of Amanda
and Darin)
was born on Sept. 9, 2008,
at 8:45 p.m. She weighed 8
lbs. and measured 20 3/4
inches long.
Benjamin David Vonk
(son of Beth and David)
was born on Sept. 12, 2008,
at 11:41 a.m. He weighed 7
lbs. 11 oz. and measured 20
1/2 inches long.
Jonathan Martin Holub
(son of Heather and Marty)
was born on Sept. 28, 2008,
at 12:45 a.m. He weighed 8
lbs. and measured 20 3/4
inches long.
Elizabeth Karen
“Ellie” Witcik
(daughter of Elizabeth
and Mike)
November 2008
was born on Oct. 8, 2008, at
11:27 a.m. She weighed 6
lbs. 13 oz. and measured 19 Upcoming Events
 MOPS ON NOV. 20,
1/4 inches long.
DEC. 4, AND DEC. 18.
 GIANT MOPS PLAY DATE
AT THE FAMILY RESOURCES
CENTER IN LA CROSSE ON
CONGRATULATIONS to THURSDAY, NOV. 13
Theresa Campbell, FROM 9 TO 11 A.M.
now Theresa Coogan,
for her recent marriage to  2ND ANNUAL MOPS
Dan Coogan on Saturday, FUNDRAISING AUCTION
Nov. 1, 2008. We wish you DURING OUR DEC. 4
many wonderful years with MEETING
your husband!
Inside this issue:
CELEBRATIONS! 1
RECIPE OF THE MONTH 2
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
7th Becky Kiesau 2
FIND GREAT CHRISTMAS
11th Maggie Kowalski GIFTS AT THE AUCTION
19th Heather Johnson
DON’T MISS THE GIANT 2
MOPS PLAY DATE
MENTOR MOMS’ CORNER 3
IMPORTANT RESOURCE 3
NUMBERS
CHEAP BIKES AND 4
HOMEMADE BABY WIPES
Recipe of the Month: Caramel Apple Bars
Ingredients:
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine,
softened
1/4 c. shortening
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 c. coarsely chopped
peeled tart apples
(3 medium)
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 (14 oz.) bag caramels
Find Great Christmas Gifts at our Auction on Dec. 4
Our MOPS meeting on Dec. 4
will include an exciting
auction as a fundraiser for
our group. Last year the
auction was a huge success,
and many of the moms went
home with treasures as well
as great gifts for family and
friends.
Last year the auction was
held in March. This year the
auction will be on Dec. 4 to
provide a great way for our
moms to do some Christmas
shopping.
Don’t Miss Our Giant MOPS Play Date on Nov. 13
You won’t want to miss our
all-MOPS giant play date at
the Family Resources Center
in La Crosse on Thursday,
Nov. 13 from 9-11 a.m. Join
us for a fun time with other
moms while the kids play with
a great selection of toys.
Page 2
1. Heat oven to 400 F. Mix
brown sugar, butter, and
shortening in a large bowl.
Stir in 1 3/4 c. flour, the oats,
salt, and baking soda.
Reserve 2 cups of the oat
mixture; press remaining oat
mixture into ungreased 9x13
inch pan.
2. Toss the apples and 3
Tbsp. flour; spread over
mixture in pan. Heat
caramels over low heat,
stirring occasionally until
melted; pour evenly over
Because the auction is a
fundraiser for our group, we
are looking for donations
from businesses or individuals
who would like to contribute
their products, time, or
services. Examples could
include handmade items such
as quilts, scarves, hats, or
jewelry; gift baskets; home
business donations (such as
items from Pampered Chef or
another company); or a gift
certificate for services that
one provides, such as
photography, home
Family Resources is located
at 1500 Green Bay St. in
La Crosse.
For more information about
the services offered by
Family Resources of La
Crosse, check out their
submitted by Beth Vonk
apples. Sprinkle with
reserved oat mixture; press
lightly.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or
until topping is golden brown
and apples are tender. For
36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6
rows while warm. Store
covered in refrigerator.
Makes 36 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
decorating, fitness training,
cake decorating, etc. Feel
free to be creative.
Please bring your donations
to the Nov. 20 or Dec. 4
MOPS meetings. In addition,
e-mail Maggie Kowalski at
LaCrescentMOPS@gmail.com
to let her know what you’re
planning to donate. Also,
consider placing a minimum
bid and retail value on your
item or service. Thanks for
your help with the auction,
and happy bidding!
website:
www.laxfamilyresources.org
Volume 2, Issue 2
Mentor Moms’ Corner: Organizing Tips from an Unorganized Woman
By Lisa Cravillion
I confess. I am a rabid list
writer, and a rapid list loser.
I plan and plan, and scribble
lists, notes, reminders, then I
usually lose them. This is
VERY frustrating for me. My
dear mom is quite organized,
and for whatever reason, I
didn't inherit her abilities with
that, or with sewing (rolling
eyes and remembering the
failed apron attempt in 8th
grade Home Economics).
Fortunately I did inherit her
goofy sense of humor,
cooking skills, and now finally
a bit of a green thumb, but
that's another story.
When people find out how
many kids I have, they usually
say, "You must be so
organized!" Ha! Not so! I
tend to be very easily
distracted, and what happens
is that instead of doing what
should be done, I spend a lot
of time thinking about things,
jotting them down, and
spinning my mental wheels.
This past year I decided to
organize my purse. I love
big bags and I cannot lie.
My biggest, shiniest bag is
Important Resource Numbers
Life can be tough, and we all
need people who will offer a
listening ear, a hug, or a
word of encouragement in
difficult times. We hope you
find MOPS to be a safe
place where you can share
the struggles in your life. In
addition, here are a few
resources that others have
found to be helpful:
black with big buckles.
While it looks great and I get
teased a lot about it, I don't
like digging in it for my mints
or cell phone or whatever.
Diving into the black hole can
be frustrating, so I went on
eBay and found a marvelous
purse organizer. Now
everything has its place. I
love it. Best of all I can
transfer the organizer from
bag to bag in seconds.
In my purse organizer I
decided to place a cheap-o
planner from the Dollar
Store, as well as a small
notebook, three or four pens,
mints, cell phone, wallet, lip
gloss, and reading glasses.
The idea behind the planner
was to use it whenever
someone talked to me about
upcoming events. It has
helped some, and keeping
the small notebook in the
purse has been great,
too. Now if I would only
remember to check the purse
planner and transfer
information to the main
calendar in the kitchen.
Since I spend a good amount
of time on the computer most
days, I decided that it would
Focus on the Family offers
free Christian counseling on
all family-related issues.
(800) A-Family (232-6459)
www.focusonthefamily.com
Catholic Charities of La
Crosse provides a variety of
support and counseling
services to our region.
www.catholiccharitieslax.org
(608) 782-0710
be good for me to have
electronic reminders, too. I “WHEN PEOPLE
figured it's impossible for me FIND OUT HOW
to lose a desktop computer,
so it's feasible that having MANY KIDS I
reminders on said computer HAVE, THEY
may be useful. To that end,
allow me to share one of my USUALLY SAY,
favorite computer reminder ‘YOU MUST BE
programs.
SO ORGANIZED.’
LetterMeLater.com is a
HA! NOT SO!”
fantastic free service that
allows me to compose email
reminders to myself to be
sent at later dates. I created
a free account, then
proceeded to write myself
various reminder emails. I
made a few Letter Me Later
notes to remind me of library
book due dates and things
like that. (Let me just say
how sobering it is to have a
large library fine... grrrr!) I
created a free separate
gmail account for use with this
service, then set the email
account to forward all mail to
my main account. Voila`!
Works like magic.
Regardless of my ineptitude,
I hope my tips might actually
work for others. Enjoy!
Dave Ramsey offers
financial wisdom and sound
advice for getting and
staying out of debt.
www.daveramsey.com
Birthright of La Crosse offers
support and confidential help
in crisis pregnancies.
www.birthright.org
(608) 782-0373
Page 3
La Crescent MOPS Notes and News
BETTER MOMS MAKE A BETTER WORLD.
La Crescent Evangelical Free
Church
1675 County Road 6
La Crescent , MN 55947
Coordinator Maggie Kowalski
Phone: 507-482-6378
E-mail:
LaCrescentMOPS@gmail.com
Check out our blog!
LaCrescentMOPS.blogspot.com.
How to Find a Cheap Bike
And now, the long-awaited
information about how to find
a cheap bike. Just ask Leo
“Frenchy” Chaput, who
rescues old bikes and fixes
Recipes for Homemade Baby Wipes
Recipe #1: Cloth Wipes
submitted by Erin Donahue
2 cups water
1 dime-sized squirt of
babywash
4 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops of tea tree oil
(discourages mold and
bacteria growth)
Optional: 1 or 2 drops of
grapefruit seed extract,
especially helpful for battling
yeast!!
Watch for skin sensitivities,
and if you suspect a
sensitivity, omit the tea tree
and lavender and GSE.
For no-sew wipes, cut 6 inch x
6 inch squares of fleece. For
flannel or sherpa wipes, one
may want to hem the edges. I
take an empty disposable
them up to sell. He lives at
615 Main St. in La Crescent.
Feel free to stop by his house
or call him at (507) 895-
6094.
wipes container, put as many
wipes in there as will fit, and
pour the wipes mixture in.
You can also put wipes in a
wipe warmer if desired.
There are many ways to use
cloth wipes. Some moms
keep their wipes dry, put the
mixture in a water bottle,
and squirt wipes as they use
them. Whatever works!!
Recipe #2: Paper Wipes
submitted by Katie Mudd
1 2/3 cups water
2 Tbsp. baby wash
2 Tbsp. baby oil
a roll of paper towels, cut in
half
Note: I use Bounty Select-A-
Size paper towels. When
purchased in bulk, the cost is
greatly reduced.
To begin, find a round,
plastic canister with a tight
lid. I found a good one at
Target in the food storage
aisle. Next, pour the water,
baby wash, and baby oil into
the canister, then swirl to mix.
Next, use a freshly
sharpened knife (not a
serrated/bread knife) to cut
the roll of paper towels in
half. Dip the straight edge
of the roll into the solution for
a few seconds, then turn the
roll over and leave the roll
jagged-side-down in the
solution for several minutes.
Before using, remove the
cardboard tube. Pull wipes
from the middle of the roll
and tear off as needed.