New Member Spotlight - Summer

"My name is Summer and we just had our first daughter, Surfia, 3 months ago. We are so excited to join the ladies in stroller strides. It's nice to be surrounded by other mom's who value being healthy and getting back into shape!

As haole as we look, my sweet husband was born and raised in Kihei back when it was dirt roads and one stop light, and I was born and raised in Nu'uanu. We now live and work in Nanakuli (Waianae), so Surfia and I will primarily be attending the Kapolei Stroller Strides as it is just a quick 15 minute drive away.

Things we enjoy are spending time with friends and family (we are fortunate enough to have both sides of the family on O'ahu), playing in the water (surfing, kayaking, swimming, etc), picnic's, supporting local businesses, and of course loving and playing with our new love of our life - Surfia.

We can't wait to meet you and hopefully set up some play dates!

Wake up every morning and believe it will be the best day ever!"

Thank you Summer for introducing us to you and your family! We look forward to getting to know you better in class!

Halloween Playgroup this FRIDAY!

There will be a Halloween Playgroup and Festival this Friday at

Kapolei after class.

It's nearly Halloween! Beth and her team of helpers have organized lots of fun activities and games for the kids on Friday. Everyone is invited to the event (you do not need to be a Stroller Strides member to participate), so bring along a friend!

Please bring a bag for your child to collect their prizes and other assorted loot :). Our goodies for the kids will all be non-food related, for those of you who are concerned about sugar overload.

Please DO NOT bring any candy to hand out. There will be snacks as usual for the kids.

There will be prizes for costumes as determined by the Instructor Panel -- so kids and moms, join the fun and wear those fun outfits!!

Restaurant Club

The inaugural dinner for Restaurant Club will meet on Tuesday, November 10th at 7pm at Roy's Restaurant in Ko Olina. If you've never been to Roy's, you're in for a treat, the food is DELICIOUS!

If you would like to join the club, or just attend this one for now, please contact Liz or Margene (or you can email Joni if you do not have their contact info, or do not see them in class).

*Restaurant Club will meet every second Tuesday of the month, and information will be sent out to members (and posted here and on facebook) as soon as the location is decided. A fun night out for us busy moms that want/need a break, and some adult and fellow mom time!

SCHEDULE CHANGE

**NO CLASS AT OCEAN POINTE THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29th**

Sarah broke her toe and will be out of commission for a few weeks.

Rosy will be taking over Thursdays at Ocean Pointe through November 19th (it then drops from the schedule due to the holidays). However, since Rosy is already scheduled to teach at CORP this Thursday, please go to CORP for your Thursday workout -- there will be no class at Ocean Pointe.

Thanks for your understanding!

New Member Spotlight - Gia

Welcome to GIA and CAMREN, newest members at Ocean Pointe!

"Aloha! My name is Gia and I just joined Stroller Strides. My husband, son and I were just stationed here last month from Charleston, SC. Our son Camren will be 3 years old in January and is our whole world! I am anxious to get back to my pre-preggo weight before trying for baby #2! We live in Ocean Pointe and my husband works at Hickam AFB as an aircraft loadmaster on C-17's. My husband Chuck and I just celebrated our 8th anniversary this past week and have been together almost 12 years now. We are missing our families & friends back home, but I am excited about meeting new friends in the neighborhood through SS!"

November & December Calendar/Holiday schedule

The calendar for November and December is UP!

Please note the following changes due to the Holidays.

CORP
No Saturday class after Thanksgiving

KAPOLEI
No Tuesday class after Thanksgiving to the New Year
(December 1st - December 29th)

OCEAN POINTE
There will be no Thursday classes after Thanksgiving to the New Year
(December 3rd - December 31st)

No class on Veterans Day -- Wednesday November 11th

No class on Wednesday, November 23rd

No class on Wednesday, December 23rd


ALL LOCATIONS
No Class on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day

***

If in doubt, please check the calendar in the side bar to the right for the most current schedule. Joni updates the calendar regularly as changes occur.

Instructors are subject to change, so please check the schedule as it will also be updated as needed.

5K Race Photos

Jessica and family

Rayna and friend

Teresa and family

Rosy, Stephanie, Jay, Brandy and Kim

Michaela, Lisa, Stephanie, Jay, Brandy and Kim

Sharara, Kim & Kahala

Kim and Sharara

Infant Massage Class

Hosted by Baby Guru, certified by the International Association for Infant Massage (IAIM)

DATE: November Tuesdays (3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th-Final day is review)
TIME: 2-3 pm
LOCATION: The Growing Nest at Ward Warehouse
COST: $115 ($97 w/ 15% Stroller Strides discount)
INCLUDES: 4 hours of instruction, oil, materials, snacks & refreshments PLUS BONUS INFANT/CHILD CPR REVIEW

Infant Massage is an ancient tradition in many cultures that has recently been recognized for its physical, emotional and intellectual benefits to babies and their families. It is quality, focused time for a caregiver and a child to interact and learn to communicate with one another using verbal and non-verbal cues. Additionally, massage improves both the infant and parents' overall health and well-being.

BENEFITS:
For Your Baby

• Promotes bonding & secure attachment
• Reduces discomfort from colic, teething, gas, constipation and congestion
• Improves circulation & digestion
• Reduces baby's stress, irritability and fussiness
• Improves sleep patterns
• Promotes self-relaxation
• Improves body awareness & muscle tone
• Enhances weight gain and development in premature infants
  

For Parents

• Promotes bonding
• Establishes a routine of quality time for families
• Creates opportunity for dads to have special time with their new baby
• Increases confidence in parenting
• Increases communication by helping parents understand their baby's unique language and cues
• Increases prolactin production (the nurturing hormone)
• Reduces stress and improves relaxation

To register, call Gwen at 808.561.5705 or email gwen@babyguruhawaii.com.

Baby News!

Welcome to our very newest Stroller Strider, Santiago!

He was born 3 weeks ago at Kapiolani Medical Center to Liz (CORP and Kapolei, mom to 2-year-old Kristen)

Congratulations to everyone that participated in this past weekend's Aloha United Way 5K. There was a great SS turnout, and it was lots of fun!

And here's who participated:

Buffy W.~3rd overall female

Brandy S.~1st 25-29 age group

Kim G.~1st 30-34 age group

Michaela D.~2nd 30-34 age group

Stephanie C. ~3rd 30-34 age group

Kim M.

Rayna L.

Rosy C.

Sharara K.

Jessica S.

Lisa R.

Kahala N.

Betsy

Teresa

Twitter much?

In case you hadn't noticed, we now have a twitter feed in our sidebar to the right. This is our fearless leader, JONI'S "tweets" about the minute-to-minute happenings of Stroller Strides Leeward Oahu. Please make sure to take a look when visiting the blog for all of our current events!

Packet Pick-up for Aloha United Way

Buffy is willing to collect your packet for the Aloha United Way 5K. Call her before noon on Thursday at 672-3738 and tell her whose packet you would like collected. If she does not answer, leave a message.

Buffy will have the packets at class on Friday at Kapolei. The packets will not be available at the race on Sunday, so if you want Buffy to pick yours up, you must collect them from class on Friday.

New Member Spotlight - Iman

"Aloha! My name is Iman and I joined Stoller Strides in October with my one year old son Tristan. We will be attending the Kapolei Stroller Strides because it is so close to our home in Ko Olina Kai. I hate to workout, but Stroller Strides has truly made working out fun for me and Tristan. We have enjoyed meeting new mommies and their children too!

We are from Oklahoma, and recently moved to Oahu in September. I am married to the love of my life and my best friend, Zach. The other love of my life, and of Zach's as well, is our one year old son, Tristan. Tristan was born 3 weeks early on September 12, 2008 and weighed 7 lbs 6oz. He has changed our lives for the better and we love him dearly!

Zach is a Surface Warfare Officer and is currently on a missile destroyer, the USS Paul Hamilton. I have always dreamed of being a wife and a mommy and my life is better than I had ever dreamed it would be. I am truly blessed."

Thank you Iman for introducing yourself to us! We love to "meet" our new members.

For you SS "vets," please submit your photos and bios for mom spotlights as well. You are new to our new members, so it's a nice way for everyone to get to know each other better!

Treasure Hunt Play Group!

Beth hosted a FANTASTIC pirate playgroup for the kids. They made pirate hats, pirate telescopes, ate Cap'n Crunch, and went on a treasure hunt around Kapolei Park that ended with a chest full of buried treasure. Thanks to Teresa for taking the pictures and sending them along. The kids were so dang cute on their treasure hunt!

It looks like a Pirate Day!

Kyle's on the lookout!

Finding clues with Auntie Beth

Hunting for treasure with their telescopes

thanks to Joni for sending the photos from Teresa and composing the text for this post!

Book Club - 2

For the next book club meeting, The first 2 books of the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series have been selected.

The meeting will be held on October 26th at 6:45pm at Buffy's house. If you are not currently on the evite list and would like to participate, please contact our book club captain, Rosy.

Get Ready to SHOP!

Joni will be attending the Stroller Strides National Conference on October 15 - 17 in San Diego.

There will be a Boutique on the premises with ALL current retail offerings as well as a bunch of NEW Stroller Strides logo tees:

Click on the link above to see the new shirts in more detail (you will be directed to a pdf file which will download to your computer)

• 1A, 1B, Mom's Workout Buddy, $12.99 (Kids' tee)
• 2, Instructor in Training, $12.99 (Kids' tee)
• 3, Sisterhood in Motherhood, $17.99
• 4 (You don't really want a long sleeve tee, do you?!)
• 5, Short Sleeve College Tee, $16.99
• 6, Fit Mama Tank, $19.99
  
• 7, Stroller Strides Instructor, $23.99
• 8, Cranberry Tank, $23.99

Please email Joni if you would like to order any new or old items -- blankets, totes, clothing, etc. No shipping and she can charge the card you have on file.

Orders must be placed by Monday, October 12 and will be delivered Monday, October 19!

Mom request

A request from Sarah Hoey:

Does anyone have an unwanted/no longer used blender that she can either borrow or buy? Hers went to appliance heaven, and she is in desperate need of one.

Please contact her if you can help her out!

New Member Spotlight - Brandy

"Aloha everyone!! My name is Brandy and I joined Stroller Strides in March of this year along with my daughter, Hannah (13 months). I am an Ocean Pointe mom, but you will see me at Kapolei and CORP as well. I am very thankful for SS as it has transformed me, and I have met some of the nicest women (and kids) and created a lot of friendships, so thank you!!

A little about myself ~ I am originally from Idaho and my husband is from Alaska. We moved to the Hawaiian Islands from Seattle, WA in June '07. We lived on Kauai for a couple months and then moved over to Oahu in August of '07 and have been in Ewa Beach since. My husband, Jay, is a Project Engineer for Kiewit, so we do find ourselves moving around a bit. I am not sure where we will be in the next year, so we are enjoying Hawaii as much as possible. Our daughter Hannah came in August '08 and has been the highlight of our lives.

Since we had Hannah, and since we move often, I am currently a stay at home mom but have taken on a new venture as an Independent Scentsy Consultant. You can click on the link to visit my website.

I look forward to my morning SS workouts with great instructors and fantastic moms. And most of all, I look forward to creating more friendships!!!"

-----------

Thank you Brandy for sharing and introducing yourself to us, and most of all, WELCOME!

*Blog updates*

Please excuse the constant changes to the background. I like to mix it up a bit, so be prepared for different backgrounds with the coming seasons/holidays/etc.!

Playgroup Survey!

Our Playgroup Captain, Beth, has created a survey to help us know what sort of activities have the most interest for Friday playgroup.

Please take a moment to click the following link and answer a few questions. The survey is anonymous.

Stroller Strides Luna Playgroup Survey

Double BOB anyone?

Sadly, Jamie and family are leaving the islands, so is selling her 6 month old BOB. She is asking for $425, and you can contact her husband, Gregg at 719.252.9197, if interested:

Jamie wanted to share this message:

"The kids and I will be leaving the island this evening and it looks more and more likely that we won't be returning. I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for SS and all of the support and encouragement from your instructors and other moms."

Safe journeys Jamie, you will be missed!!

Hula Mom's Night Out!

Left to Right: Erika, Joni, Tania, Mardelle, Aurora, Teresa

An update from Joni:

"Hula night was a ton of fun! The ladies met at Aloha Salads in Kapolei for a super healthy dinner, then carpooled to Manoa for our Hula and Tahitian dancing class. There was a lot of hip action going on! We wore pareos and worked those hips. Our instructor Sarah was so funny and very energetic. Then coffee at the shop under the studio and back home ... success! We learned all sorts of stuff about each other, and had a fabulous time sending off Erika who has (sadly) moved to Florida this week. I can't wait for the next MNO and I have learned that I LOVE Tahitian dancing!"

Thanks for the update and awesome photo! Info on October's MNO to come!

Jog Strollers in the News

Apparently this is breaking news for the New York Times!

Read all about proper form with a jogging stroller and keep reading for a shout-out from Stroller Strides' Fitness Director, Farel Hruska.