Even HOT werewolves use tubing...

Joni found this for all you Twilight fans:

From a recent photo spread in the L.A. Times.

OCTOBER CALENDAR....

is UP!  Click on calendar link to the right to view next month's schedule.  When you go to the calendar, September will still be up, but you can scroll to the next month to see it.

50,000 Books for Hawaii's kids!

Kahala shared this info with us, and we think it's a great thing for Hawaii's schools!  First Book is a sponsoring a book contest that will award 50,000 books to the State with the most votes.  As of today, Hawaii is in 1st place.  It is really east to vote.  All you have to do is visit the website ONCE a day, choose Hawaii, and click to vote. You don't have to fill in the other spots.  Just go to the box that asks where you want 50,000 books to be sent, find Hawaii and click.

From their website:

"What Book Got You Hooked?" invites readers everywhere to celebrate unforgettable books from childhood and help provide new books to the children who need them most. First Book asks visitors to share the memory of the books that made them readers and then vote for the state to receive 50,000 new books from First Book, helping to get more kids hooked on reading.

Past winners include Oklahoma in 2007 and Kentucky in 2008, with each state receiving 50,000 new books for children in need.

Wanna Hula? *UPDATE*

*Hula night has been scheduled for Friday, September 25th at 8pm.

The address is 2851 E. Manoa Rd., Ste. 1-207, which is located in Manoa Marketplace.

If you are interested in attending, please notify Joni by TOMORROW, Friday Sept. 18th.  Fees for the class will by due by next Monday.

So far, 10 moms have signed up, so you can expect the cost to be anywhere from $15-22.  Most likely everyone will meet up for a light dinner before the class.

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Come learn Hula for October's Mom's Night Out!

Joni has been in touch with Wanna Hula to organize a group lesson for us.  She told Sarah from Wanna Hula that all of you like to work out and sweat, so she promises a good workout with perhaps some Tahitian dancing thrown in!

The more people that participate reduces the cost of an hour-long session, so a group of 10-15 would be ideal and would run from $10 to $15 per person.  She would like to pick a time and day that works best for those who are interested, so let her know if you want to Hula!  email her at: joni@strollerstrides.net.

Inaugural Book Club Selection!

The first book club meeting will be held on September 28th at 6:45pm at Hale Crescitelli.  If you haven't RSVP-ed for book club, and would like to join the fun, email Rosy!  Otherwise, you can always read along without actually attending if you can't make it!

Kapolei United Way 5K Run

A great run, benefiting a terrific cause! Buffy's husband is in charge of this race, and it's right here on the Leeward side at Campbell Industrial Park in Kapolei!

Date: Sunday, October 18
Start Time: 7:00am
Distance: 5K
Location: Tesoro Refinery, 91-325 Komohana St., Kapolei (Campbell Industrial Park)
Entry Fee: $20 if by Oct. 8, Late Entry $25, Race Day $35
Course: One fast, flat, wheel measured loop within Campbell Industrial Park

Packet Pick-Up will be at Runners Hi, 98-390 Kamehameha Hwy in Aiea on Saturday Oct. 17 from 10 AM - 3 PM

Register on-line at www.active.com, or pick up a registration sheet from Buffy or Joni at class. Get in touch with Buffy if you have any questions about the race.

All proceeds benefit the United Way!

Swim Play Date MONDAY!

We will be meeting at Wet and Wild next Monday, September 21 at 10:30 AM. 

If you are not currently a Wet and Wild Annual Pass holder, they are running an Endless Summer special -- join anytime before September 30 and get unlimited admission through December 31 for $29. Must have a Hawaii State ID.

Meet at the Keiki Lagoon!

Mom Spotlight - Aloha

Hi everyone! It is me, your friendly blog-master. I thought it was about time that I introduce myself, since I am always trying to get everyone else to send me their photos and bios.

I was born in Honolulu, but was raised in Southern California. I grew up just outside of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley (yes, this is THE "valley," and I used to talk like a Valley-girl). I have a Bachelor's degree in Communication from the University of California at Santa Barbara, with an emphasis in Mass Media effects. Although I worked for Nickelodeon briefly after graduating, Hawaii called out to me and I moved here soon after. Little did I know I would never leave!

I currently work as the Director of Operations for a Floral and Event Design Company. I am so fortunate to be able to work part-time from home, allowing me to spend a lot of time with my girls.

My husband, Noa and I have been married for 6.5 years. We have 3 and a half year old Nanea, and 14 month old Makena. Noa is a pilot with the Hawaii Air National Guard, and flies the C-17. He is gone frequently, but we've grown accustomed to it. He also used to fly for Aloha Airlines, but we all know what happened to them!

Stroller Strides is such a wonderful part of our lives. It gets me out of the house, and in a relatively short amount of time after I started, I got to my pre-pregnancy weight! I have met so many wonderful, inspiring women, and am so glad to have "mommy" friends. I keep wondering what on earth I'll do when Makena is too old for Stroller Strides...can I keep coming without a kid? Or maybe borrow someone's? At least I have a few more years to worry about that.

I hope I will be able to eventually meet all of you!

New Member Spotlight - Gwen

Aloha Ladies! My name is Gwen and I am a mommy to a 3 year-old son named Tanner, and a 4 month-old baby boy named Chase. I have lived in Ko Olina for over 7 years and am just now making roots on the Leeward side after commuting to downtown for so long to work for Honolulu Magazine.

I am really enjoying Stroller Strides. I am not someone who likes to exercise, but I love these workouts…being outside, the diversity of the workouts, being around other mamas and doing something for me, while still being with my baby. My husband joins me on Saturdays for a family workout and he is so impressed by how hard our workouts are!

I have recently launched a new company, Baby Guru, which offers baby-proofing and workshops in infant massage, making homemade baby food, infant CPR and other services to keep our keiki safe, healthy and happy!

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Thank you Gwen for taking the plunge and being our latest "new member spotlight!"

We encourage both "new" and "old" members to please send us photos and a little bit about yourself so that we can all know each other a little better, and be able to put names with faces!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STROLLER STRIDES!

This September marks Stroller Strides' 6th year on Oahu! The franchise was brought here by two new mommies, Katey Mobley & Buffy Whiteman, who found themselves at home and looking for a way to exercise and include their children. Josie Mobley & Malia Boksanski were the inspirations to just that! These two girls were only 6 months old when they met and spent their early years as Stroller Strides Hawaii's first babies. They are now 7 years old, and the early influence of Stroller Strides has really paid off. Josie now swims for Punahou Swim Club, while Malia swims for Niuhi Swim Club and also competes in gymnastics for Island Tumblers. Both girls are very active young ladies and hop into an occasional keiki run now and then. They have remained best of friends and are proud to be products of Stroller Strides.

Josie & Malia in the early days of Stroller Strides

Malia & Josie today

Happy Birthday Stroller Strides!

Triathlon Results are in!

Congrats to all those that participated in the Na Wahine Sprint/Super Sprint!  Also, thanks to Stephanie for the photo and the results below.  If anyone else participated, please email me your results so that I can add!  For official and complete results, go to:

http://www.pacificsportevents.com/Races/Na%20Wahine%20Tri/Splash.html

Sprint triathlon: 500m swim, 12 miles bike, 3.1 mile run:

Jill was 10th out of 188 people, 1st in the 30-34 age group.

Michaela was 16th out of 188 people, 2nd in the 30-34 age group.

Super sprint triathlon: 250m swim, 6 mile bike, 1.7 mile run

Jerah was 12th out 50 people, 2nd in the 30-34 age group.

Stephanie was 13th out 50 people, 3rd in the 30-34 age group.

Book Club!

An email was sent out to all members, announcing the launch of a book club.  Please email Rosy if interested!

(If you deleted the email, or never got it, please email Joni at joni@strollerstrides.net to get Rosy's email address).

Once a group has been established, they will decide on meeting days/times as well as reading material.

Happy Reading!

Instructor Extravaganza!

With 20 moms

 at class last Friday, the instructor extravaganza at Kapolei was a rousing success!

It was a definitely a challenging workout!  Class was designed as a circuit training event so that your heart rate remained elevated for the entire hour, while different muscle groups took turns working to failure.

The Extravaganza may become a quarterly event, so look out for it in the future!

Instructor Extravaganza & Playgroup

Friday, September 4 at 8:45 AM
Kapolei Regional Park

Warm-up/stretch with Joni
Cardio Burst with Buffy
Arms with Jill
Pilates with Rosy
Legs with Kim

• You will be divided into random groups and each group will start at different areas in the park
• A horn will sound when it is time for your group to transition to the next Instructor
• You will be circuiting through the park continuously, so GO GO GO!
• An awesome full-body circuit with the chance to experience (nearly) all of the instructors

Parachute Playgroup to Follow Class

Don't Forget, Dads are welcome at Every Class! Bring him along if he's off for Labor Day!