December 12th Meeting and Cookie Swap!

Take a break from your Advent observances and Christmas preparations to relax and reflect with other moms at ALO next Thursday, December 12, from 6:45 to 9 pm.  Keeley (that's me) will facilitate the meeting.

Speaker: Marybeth Redmond of Vermont Works for Women, a published author known for her work with incarcerated women, will share a presentation entitled "Experience Christ on the Margins."

Food: At the December meeting, we traditionally bring cookies to exchange.  Even if you don't love cookies, it can be nice to go home with an interesting assortment for family, friends, guests, or kids' teachers to try!  Please bring three dozen cookies to exchange.  If you can't bring three dozen cookies, bring two dozen, or buy cookies, or just bring your own self.  Trust me, we would rather see you even if you can't bring cookies, and there will be plenty to go around.

Donation: Last year, our December toy collection for kids in the Diocese of Brooklyn who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy was a great success.  This year we will be collecting toys for local kids via Toys for Tots.  Please bring a new toy worth less than $30.  Toys for Tots anticipates particularly needing toys for kids age 10-12.  As always, donation is optional.

Other details: As usual, child care will be provided and we will be meeting in the St. Edmunds Room in the back of the rectory at St. Lawrence Church, Essex Junction.  We look forward to seeing you!

November Meeting Wrap-Up

A hearty thank-you to Stacey Guinee, who entertained, inspired, and got all of us talking with her presentation on "Experience Grace."  Stacey reminded us about the importance of asking for God's help as we confront all the challenges of motherhood and try to fully live the lives we have been given!
The meeting was well-attended, with some familiar faces from former years rejoining us as well as some new additions.  It was great fun to share and socialize with all of you.  We'll look forward to seeing you again next month!

Next Meeting: November 14!

Please join us for our next meeting on Thursday, November 14 from 6:45-9 pm.  Lisa will be our facilitator.

Speaker:  Stacey Guinee, founder of the Vermont Catholic Women's Retreat, will speak to us on "Experience Grace."  Welcome, Stacey!

Food:  Expect some more tasty desserts from Jennifer Parent and other moms in the group.

Donation:  Our charity of the month is Dismas House.  Donation is optional.  If you wish to bring a donation of cash, check (to "Burlington Dismas House"), or goods on their wish list, we will deliver that to the organization.  They are particularly in need of: new bed pillows, single size bed sheets (new or used/good condition), and flatware.

Child care will be provided.  We hope to see you next week!  If you're new to ALO, directions can be found in a post below from September 8th.

October Meeting Wrap-up

Mmm, pie!

Thank you to everyone who made the October meeting such a success!  First and foremost, thank you to Laurie, who shared such a moving story of her experiences with cancer and adoption.  It really resonated for me and, I'm sure, many of the other women in attendance.  We should also thank Father Charlie for supplying his great beef stew, and everyone who brought pie!  Also, COTS was very glad to receive the donations from the meeting.  We had a great turn-out and will look forward to seeing everyone again in November!

October Meeting Info!

Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome

Our next meeting is coming up on Thursday, October 10 from 6:45 to 9 pm!  It is set to be a great meeting.  Mary will be our facilitator.

Speaker: Laurie from St. Luke's will speak with us on "Experience Trust: Surrender, and Always Have Faith in God's Plan."  Her talk will share her experiences as a cancer survivor and adoptive mother.  Welcome, Laurie!

Food: October is our annual Beef Stew Dinner provided by Holy Family - St. Lawrence pastor Father Charlie Ranges!  Fr. Charlie cooks a great beef stew and side dishes.  Several moms from the group will be bringing pies.  We will start with dinner right on time so that there is time to eat before Laurie starts her presentation.

Donation: Our charity of the month is COTS (Burlington's Committee on Temporary Shelter).  Donation is optional.  If you wish to bring a donation of cash, check, or goods on their wish list, we will deliver that to the organization.  Some highlights of what they need: new cleaning products, new men's L/XL sweatpants, and grocery giftcards.  Here is a link to the full wish list.  Please ignore the "Seasonal Needs" which are out-of-date.

Child care will be provided.  We hope to see you next week!  If you're new to ALO, directions can be found in a post below from September 8th.

Is there a cost to attend ALO? No!

As we did last year, there will be no meeting fee.  Instead, we encourage attendees to bring a free will offering for a different charity each month.  Each charity has a suggested wish list of items they need.  And we can collect cash or check donations.

Please remember that donation is OPTIONAL.  You can also support people doing good works in our community through your prayer and service!  You should still attend even if you cannot or do not wish to support this charity.  We'll look forward to seeing you!

It was fun meeting you!

I had a great time at our first meeting of the new ALO year last night.  There were lots of tasty cookies and friendly moms.  Judy facilitated and got volunteers for a variety of things (baking, facilitating, setup, etc.).  If you weren't there but would like to help, there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved!  Let us know!  Then Stephanie got us started with an activity sharing our favorite things about being mothers, and our greatest challenges.  We all got to meet some new people and, for the returning members, reconnect with friends from prior years.  There were about ten kids in attendance too!  Remember that we WILL have child care at all future meetings, provided in an adjacent room.

On a sadder note we said farewell to Michelle, who is moving away at the end of the month with her husband and two darling daughters.  They've brought a lot of spirit to some meetings in the past and last night we saw where they got it from!  Michelle had everyone laughing with a stand-up comedy routine she had prepared about Catholic motherhood.  "Pope Francis has really changed a few things" is right!  Goodbye and God bless, Michelle and family!

How to find the ALO meeting spot

There have been some questions about finding the ALO meeting spot.  Admittedly, it's a bit hidden away. You can use Google Maps to find directions to St. Lawrence parish (158 West St., Essex Junction, VT).  Once you get there, park on the right hand side of the church and follow the path around the back of the rectory building; we meet on the lower level, and there's a separate entrance in the back.  Here's a map of the church grounds (sorry if I don't have great MS Paint skills!).  You can click on the picture to see a larger version.  Hope to see you there this Thursday at 7 pm!

First meeting details!

Our first ALO meeting of the year will happen on Thursday, September 12, from 7-8:30 pm in the St. Edmunds Room at Saint Lawrence Church.  The meeting is free and will feature getting-to-know-you activities planned by Stephanie!  There is no childcare at this meeting, but there will be at all the later meetings.  Hope to see you there!

Info for 2013-2014 coming soon!

We'll be posting information on the meeting schedule for the upcoming year soon!