Out of Town Stroller Strides Visitors

We had some out of town visitors today in our Stroller Strides class. It was a total blast to have S & T from Portland join us for our workout. The breezes were finally blowing and we had a fun class with water balloons. It's always fun to meet other Stroller Striders so we were glad for the visitors.

If you missed our LUNA Moms Club after class we had a great time with water guns, balloons, the parachute and other fun. It was a perfect day!

Enjoy the weekend!!

Stroller Strides @ Turning Path LLC

I had a wonderful time with the beautiful moms at Turning Path LLC yesterday. The Mommy Mornings groups were so welcoming and kind. I really enjoyed talking with them and getting to see the moms interacting with their babies. It was really fun.

We talked about fitness, exercises they can do at home and the importance of modeling a healthy lifestyle for their children.

Anne Carlson is doing a great job over there. What a great asset to our community. I'm so happy they are in town and doing such a great service for our local moms.

I look forward to talking to them again soon and seeing how all the babies are growing!!

Stroller Strides / LUNA Moms Club of Bend - Summer 2008 Calendar

The Summer 2008 calendar is now available for LUNA Moms Club of Bend.

Please click here to visit www.strollerstrides.net/bend/playdays and see our summer schedule.

We look forward to spending time with you and your baby!!

Remember LUNA Moms Club is open to everyone and FREE!

Creating Community - Stroller Strides Style

I was reading a mystery novel the other day and in it the detective was talking about using blogs, Google searches and chat rooms to help him solve his case. Gone are the days of having limited resources to find out information and research suspects. If you've said it, done it, written it or taken a picture of it be prepared to have "it" find it's way to the internet. Crazy!

In the same way there has never been a time like this when we can strike up virtual friendships with people thousands of miles away and feel like they're right next door. Suddenly community is not just your neighborhood or your town. It's at the end of our fingertips, right on the screen in front of us.

Stroller Strides and LUNA Moms Club are both wonderful local communities of women who are experiencing similar life stages - babies & kids! But sometimes it is scary to try to crack into a group of women who knows each other, who has a history together. Luckily, we have the internet to help us.

Resources such as meetup.com and cafemom.com are great ways to connect with others before you ever show up for an Stroller Strides class or LUNA Moms Club event. By joining one of these groups, or one similar, you can talk to other members, develop relationships and learn more about each other all in the privacy and security of your own home. There's no risk.

Hopefully, once you feel secure, like you "know" someone else or even a group of people, the natural progression is to go out and meet them in person. What could be better?

I love having these types of tools. I love being a part of a community of women who are all doing life together and who can meet and chat and laugh together both virtually and in reality. I may never crack a big mystery or catch a suspect, but I am meeting wonderful women who are moms, wifes, girlfriends and daughters. Together we are sharing experiences and becoming a community of strong, healthy moms who support one another and are available for each other all the time. That, to me, is the essence of community - Stroller Strides style.

LUNA Moms Club - Great day at the park!

We were finally blessed with some good weather today. It was wonderful to go to the park. I so enjoyed meeting Helena and Lynelle. I am really looking forward to another outing like this one in a couple of weeks.

If you missed it, please come out and join us on April 24 @ 11 am (Larkspur Park) for some great fun and meet some wonderful moms.

LUNA Moms Club - April Events

LUNA Moms Club Events for April

Come join us for some fun & friendship!


Thursday, April 10 @ 11am
Thursday, April 24 @ 11am
* LUNA Moms Club @ Larkspur Park (aka Reed Market Park)

PLAY TIME The weather is tempting us, so we're gonna tempt the weather by planning a morning of play time at the wonderful Larkspur play area. This is also known as Reed Market Park just off Reed Market Road where the Senior Center is located. Bring your snacks and play clothes for a time of swinging, sliding and getting crazy with the kids. If the weather doesn't cooperate we will cancel. Just cross your fingers for a great day!!

Friday, April 18 @ 6:30 pm
* Moms Night Out

PAJAMA PARTY Put on your comfy PJs. Wear your slippers and come enjoy a couple of hours without kids (and all that entails!) Our hostess has offered to open up her lovely home to us for an evening of wine, music, conversation and tasty treats. There's sure to be a chocolate fountain involved!!!

Please RSVP to get directions and further info. (debis@strollerstrides.net)

Mommy Couldn't Finish Dessert!

Yummmmmmy! We had a great time at our Moms Night Out event on Friday night. It was so awesome to be out having adult conversation. While most of it was about our kids, it was still fun to sit and laugh and chat and ask each other questions.

Our desserts were to die for. The Blacksmith definitely has some great offerings in the post dinner department. A big shout out to them for making our evening so great. My brownie sundae was so rich I couldn't finish it. Yum!

We spent over 3 hours just shootin' the breeze and it was AWESOME!

If you missed it, please join us next month. It will be great, as usual.

Party on girls!

Moms Night Out - Mommy Deserves Dessert!

We're going out this Friday night. Just the girls that is. No husbands, boyfriends, or kids tagging along. We'll be at the Blacksmith at 6:30 pm for dessert.

Does this sound tempting to you? Check out our group and events at www.strollerstrides.net/bend and click on the LUNA playgroups tab at the top of the page.

It will be an evening of relaxation and fun eating decadent desserts and participating in adult conversations!!

See you there!

March of Dimes - March for Babies - JOIN OUR TEAM!

Why Walk??

Because right now, premature birth touches half a million babies and their families every year. Because babies born too soon are more likely to die or have lifelong disabilities. Because 120,000 babies are born with serious birth defects each year. Because every baby deserves someone in their corner. The March of Dimes is here for all babies - those born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive.

Join our team!

Stroller Strides / LUNA Moms Club of Bend is putting together a team of walkers for this year's event. All are invited to join - moms, dads, friends and family. We will be raising funds for March of Dimes, but there is no cost to join our team and walk.

Date: Saturday, April 26

Location: Les Schwab Amphitheater

Time: 9:00 am

Cost: FREE

Our team name is: Stroller Strides - Luna Moms Club of Bend

Our goal is to raise $3000. That's just 15 moms raising $200 each.

Join us in supporting all babies in Central Oregon and around the nation to have a fighting chance at life. Strollers are welcome. You are not responsible for the monetary pledges, so you have nothing to lose. It's just our goal. Help us reach it - get involved - come support and walk with our team.

Sign up today at:

www.marchforbabies.org

Directions for joining our team:

· Go to www.marchforbabies.org

· Click on JOIN A TEAM

· Enter our team name: Stroller Strides - Luna Moms Club of Bend

· Sign up

Please forward this information to any mom you think might want to participate.

You don't have to be a member of Stroller Strides to walk with us.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

I look forward to walking with you!

March Events for Moms - LUNA Moms Club of Bend

LUNA Moms Club Calendar for March 2008

Join us for some fun this month!

* LUNA Moms Club @ Deschutes Public Library, Bend , Thursday, March 13 @ 11am
CREATE A READER TODAY! Join us at the Deschutes Public Library in Bend for playtime and book fun. We will meet in the kid's section at the back on the couches for a time of playing and reading. Even if you have a very little one, join us to find out more about what the library can offer you as your little one grows and maybe even pick up a book for yourself.


* Moms Night Out, Friday, March 21 @ 6:30 pm
MOMMY DESERVES DESSERT & Book Exchange Come join us for a fun evening of wonderful desserts at The Blacksmith in downtown Bend. All moms deserve a little decadence in their lives once in a while. We will meet a little later on this evening so you can eat with your family then sneak away for some girl time. Enjoy a Coffee Creme Brulee or Lemon Meringue Tart with Lavender Butterfly Cookies along with an Irish coffee or other adult beverage. We will also be doing a book exchange, so bring something you've read recently and want to trade - What? You haven't had time to read any books recently? That's ok, come anyway and learn what's hot on the literary scene while enjoying some adult conversation.

The Blacksmith
211 NW Greenwood Avenue
Bend, Oregon 97701
t | 541.318.0588

PLEASE RSVP TO DEBI AT: debis@strollerstrides.net

* LUNA Moms Club @ Larkspur Park (aka Reed Market Park), Thursday, March 27 @ 11am
PLAY TIME The weather is tempting us, so we're gonna tempt the weather by planning a morning of play time at the wonderful Larkspur play area. This is also known as Reed Market Park just off Reed Market Road where the Senior Center is located. Bring your snacks and play clothes for a time of swinging, sliding and getting crazy with the kids. If the weather doesn't cooperate we will have an alternative activity planned. Just cross your fingers for a great day!!

Moms Night Out - MOVIE NIGHT!!

We had a great time at the movies on Friday night. We walked around the Old Mill before our movie started and stopped into Children's Place to check out all the spring fashions.

It was wonderful to be out with other moms, eat popcorn and I especially enjoyed my frozen Coke from the concession stand. YUM!

Thanks to all the ladies who came out!!

If you missed it we hope you'll join us next month for our Moms Night Out Event. You are invited!!

Valentine's LUNA Moms Club

We had such a great time on Valentine's Day making cards and decorating cookies. It was really fun to just hang out and chat and get to know one another better.

I love meeting other moms and I love sharing this experience with them.

Moms that Inspire

In looking back at how far I've come since starting Stroller Strides in Bend it has been very fun to see the progress I've made. What a fun business. I had really high expectations going into this adventure and almost none of them were met the way I thought they would be met. And yet I'm enjoying myself immensely.

The day to day business has been a challenge and a very satisfying part of the process for me. I love the marriage of my organizational and creative sides. I love using all these different sides of my brain each day.


Teaching class has also been challenging, but in a wonderful way. I never thought I would be a fitness instructor, but I love finding new ways to push the moms, keep the kids happy and keep it interesting for everyone. I've seen some really great changes in my own body and developed a strong sense of purpose for how I want to live, eat and exercise.

The most surprising aspect of this venture has been the relationships with the moms that I have developed. I love hanging out with these ladies several days a week. We have such interesting conversations and I truly enjoy watching each of them parent their children. I've learned a lot from each of them and I love seeing them interact with their children. It is fun to be a part of a group of women who care for, love and nurture their children so well. They really inspire me to be a better mom and a better woman.

Life is full of surprises and my life is so much better because of Stroller Strides. Not only has owning the business brought me joy, but meeting the moms that bring inspiration to my life each time we work out has made a huge impact on me and I am grateful to each one for her positive contribution to my life.

Moms Night Out at Pepe's

Oh we had so much fun. It was wonderful to sit and talk with other women for a couple of hours. Nice, accomplished, intelligent women.

I can't wait to do it again next month.

LUNA Moms Club

I'm so excited that January has started. It was a long fall with a lot going on both business wise and personally. So it's nice to be at this point.

I'm especially excited about LUNA Moms Club. Getting it started has been a challenge, but it's such a great concept. I'm really happy to offer it here in Central Oregon.

Being a mom is such a rewarding job but it can get the better of you sometimes. It's fun to have an outlet to meet other moms and share our experiences. I'm looking forward to the getting together next week at Chatterbeans. It will be fun to let the kids play and relax with the other moms.

I think the Moms Night Out event will be great too. It's nice to be able to get out and hang with other moms, sans kids. A tasty margarita always improves things too!

I like that the group is FREE. There aren't many free things out there anymore so this is cool.

Healthy Mama 2008

Every year I'm one who talks about all the great changes I'm going to make in my life - especially in the area of weight, health, and fitness. I've tried writing them down, starting them before the New Year starts, starting on a Tuesday, telling my friends, not telling my friends, plastering them around my house. You get the picture.

But this year I've decided that I'm already on the right track. I had my second baby in March of '07 and went looking for a fitness program I could do with a new baby and an 18 month old. I stumbled across Stroller Strides on the internet and found out there were no classes in my area. As I continued to search around the website I found out I could own a Stroller Strides business and bring this great idea to my town. All without having to reinvent the wheel.

I jumped at the chance and by August I was in San Diego for training and by September I was holding classes right here in Bend.

It's hard to describe how fun it has been to start my own business. It's been a rush of emotion and a lot of work, but after searching for years for something I could do from home, I found what I was looking for.

I'm excited about 2008. I'm excited that I don't have to make promises to myself that I can't keep. I'm already on the track to better health. I have new goals to reach for and exciting things ahead of me.

It's not always easy balancing a home and a business, but the rewards far outweigh the difficulties and I always like a new challenge.

So, come on 2008 - bring it on!