Congrats to the GAR runners!

We had quite a showing at today's 8.15 mile Great Aloha Run! Congratulations to the following women from Leeward Oahu!

Gwen, Teresa, Kim M., Rosy, Tania, Jen N., Lisa, Jen P., and Joni

Tania, far left, with two friends

Jen and Lisa after the race

Joni, Kim, Teresa, Tania and Gwen, right before the gun went off!


Gwen and her husband Josh (honorary Stroller Strider).

And More Baby News!

From the Hendrickson ohana:

We are so very proud and blessed to announce the birth and arrival of our beautiful daughter, Aubrey Elise Kalea. Tania went into labor Friday evening, and Aubrey was born on Saturday morning (12/5) at 7:11 am. She weighed 6 lbs, 9 oz, and she was 18 inches tall. Both mom and baby were happy and healthy, so the hospital released them the next afternoon.

She's gorgeous! Congratulations Tania!

Playgroup: Homemade Handprint/ Footprint Ornaments

For those of you who could not make it to playgroup last Friday, or didn't have their children with them, the recipe for the handprint/footprint ornaments are below:

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups water

Mix all the ingredients together. Knead dough for 10-15 minutes. Roll dough to 1/3 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters or bowl to cut into circle or desired shape. Press hand or foot in the dough. Use a straw to punch out two circles (for stringing ribbon or string through for hanging after it is baked). Use a toothpick to write your child's name, age, date, etc. Paint. Bake at 350º for 20-25 min. Spray with clear polyurethane for shine after it is baked.

*dough is inedible, just due to the salty taste*

Baby News!

Welcome to one of our newest members, Matthew, born weighing 8lbs 1 oz. and 19.5 inches long. Congratulations to Sonya and her family, and we hope to see you all back at class soon!

U.S. Vets Patriot Walk Run

Date: Saturday, November 14th, 8:00am

Location: Waterfront at Puuloa

5105 Iroquois Ave., Ewa Beach

Registration closes on Nov. 12th. Please click on the website for more information and to register.

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!!

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)

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.

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!

Art Playgroup in the Park!

Beth organized a fun "Art in the Park" playgroup at Kapolei last Friday, and the kids drew on the sidewalk with chalk and paint.  The art supplies were a BIG (messy!) hit and everyone had a great time!

Meet Beth! Our new Playgroup Captain!

Hi! My name is Beth and I am the proud mother of Kyle (3 yrs.) and Kara (6 mon). For those of you who don't know me you can find me at Kapolei working out with Kara in the Bjorn and Kyle in the stroller. We just moved here from Pleasant Hill, CA at the end of March. After settling in a bit I was pleased to find Stroller Strides in May as a great way to lose the baby weight, get fit, and meet some friends for both the kids and I.

 

I am also excited to announce that I am the new Playgroup Captain for the Leeward Oahu Stroller Strides. Being a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with numerous years of experience working with little ones and teaching social language skills, I am excited to use my creativity to help Kyle have a great time with all his little Stroller Stride buddies! My goal is to help the keiki and their mommies have fun; to give the mommies a chance to chat/ have a break; and to make it so that the kiddos look forward to coming each week. I am truly enjoying being a part of Stroller Strides and I am looking forward to having fun with everyone on Friday in Kapolei!

Welcome Beth!!  And, thank you for taking on this position within SS Leeward!  We look forward to more fun and exciting playgroups!

Kids Olympics Playgroup tomorrow!

Kid Olympics at Kapolei on Friday!

The kids will be participating in:

Shotput

Hammer Throw

"Shoe Race"

and a Diaper Derby for the babies

(crawling required!)

The events will kick off at 10 AM. 

Come on, come all! 

(You do not need to be a Stroller Strides member to participate in playgroup.)

We'll have more Luna bars to hand out and stickers for the kids.

16th Annual Oahu Start! Heart Walk

When: August 1st, 7am

Where: Kapiolani Park

What: A walk to benefit the American Heart Association.

Course: Choose from a 1 mile loop around the park, or a 4.5 mile walk around Diamond Head.  

How: Go to www.oahuheartwalk.org to register, and for more information.

Post-walk activities include a health fair, kid zone fun fair, entertainment and heart healthy snacks (subway is a sponsor!) 

THANK YOU TO KIM FOR SHARING THIS INFO!!  HOPE TO SEE A BIG GROUP OF STROLLER STRIDERS OUT THERE!

*disclaimer: there will not be an "official" SS team for this walk, this is just informational for those who may want to participate :)!

July Playgroup

Join us for a Fourth of July Playdate!

Friday, July 3rd, after class

Dress your kids in red, white and blue!

Materials will be provided to "dress up" your jogger in patriotic style for a Stroller Strides parade

Flags will be handed out for the kids to wave, and have red, white & blue fruit will be provided to enjoy!

July 4th Class

A special class is planned for Saturday, July 4th on the North Shore.  The last one in January was such a success, and so much fun!

Meet at the Sunset Beach Fire Station which is located in Pupukea (just past Waimea Bay). Parking is located in the lot beside the station across from Foodland.

Address: Station 11

            59-719 Kamehameha Hwy., Haleiwa, 96712

Time: 9:00am

What to bring: towel, stroller, sunscreen and family!

Hope to see you all there!

Mango Days 5K

Sarah is putting together a group to run in the Mango Days 5k in August. The goal is 15 Stroller Strides Moms. Once you have signed up, please email Sarah at james.sarah.hoey@hotmail.com so we can update the blog and people will know who's running.

Date & Time: Sunday, August 09, 2009 @ 6:30 AM

Location: Ala Moana Beach Park, Magic Island

Registration Closing Date: Thursday, August 06, 2009 @ 3:00 AM
Online registration closes at 11:59pm on August 5th
~After that, register in person at packet pickup on Saturday, August 8th at Runners HI in Aiea from 10am to 4pm.

Race Info: The 7th annual Mango Days 5k is a benefit for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - 100% of the profits will go toward patient services and blood cancer research. The course starts at the Magic Island parking lot at Ala Moana Beach Park, and ends near the tennis courts, winding its way around the park. Awards for top males and females in 16 divisions. Chip timing by Pacific Sport Events. All participants will receive a t-shirt. T-shirt not guaranteed for late registration. Strollers are welcome.

To register online, click on this link: active.com.

Swim Lessons anyone?

Carolyn emailed about a swim school that she has Tarek and Carter enrolled in.  I have never heard of this school, but the concept, and results are truly amazing.  It basically teaches your child "survival" skills should they fall into the water.

Carolyn writes that she has had the boys enrolled in the ISR swim program for 5 weeks, and they are almost finished with their lessons.  The video that she has shared shows Tarek at week 4 of the program.  He is 2 1/2, and Carter is 15 months.  

Lessons are Monday through Friday, and each lesson is 10 minutes long with only your child and an instructor. 

Carolyn writes: "It's been a great experience, the instructors are awesome and I feel better knowing they have the basics if something were to ever happen. Especially since we frequent the pools and beaches on a regular basis and it's only me for the time being!"

If you are interested in more information, visit their website at:  www.isrswimschool.com or call (808) 737-0703. 

Thank you Carolyn for sharing!

Baby News!

Congratulations to the Nielsen family on the addition of their daughter, Paige Meredith!

Here are her stats:

Born: May 11th 8:06 am Hawaii time at Tripler AMC in Honolulu

Birthweight: 8lbs 13 oz

Height: 19 in

Jen sent these photos, and said to pick the ones we liked best to post, but they were all just so sweet that I had to put them all up!  We all look forward to seeing you back at class when you are up and "running."

Keiki Sitters

This month we have partnered with Keiki Sitters.

Keiki Sitters is a local online service that helps families find babysitters.  Once you join, you can search for sitters in your area that subscribe to their service and have been pre-screened.

If interested, check out the link above.  They have a great special offer for Stroller Strides members this month, $14.95 for access to the site for 2 weeks.  Just enter promo code: 1234.

Easter Egg Playgroup Pics!

The Easter egg playgroup was a big success!  Thanks to everyone that RSVP-ed and came to join in the fun.  Here's a message from our playgroup coordinator, Ashleigh:

"I just wanted to give a BIG thank you to all of the mommies that donated candy and eggs for today's play date.  Also, a BIG thank you to the mommies who helped me stuff and hide the eggs this morning.  We had an amazing turn out!  I had 27 kids RSVP'd by this morning!  Thank you everyone for making this a special day for the kids.  They really enjoyed themselves out there."

Thanks to Ashleigh and Stephanie for all the photos!