Exercise of the Week: Flower picking lunge with row

Are you feeling a little extra bulge after the holidays? Target your glutes and work off some of those Christmas cookies with this move.

Luna Mom's Club Tip of the Week

12 Weekly Educational Tips- Quarter 4 Mission- Taking time to give during the holiday season.


These weekly tips will hopefully inspire you to give back during these few months. Whether you’re giving to a non profit organization, your friends and neighbors, or to the environment, even the smallest actions make a big difference.

Need to find homes for some of those holiday gifts you may get that aren’t quite your style or duplicates of things you already have? Organize a neighborhood pick-up from a local charity just after the holidays. Rally your neighbors to pitch in too so all those unwanted gifts can go to good homes. Happy holidays!

Luna Mom's Club Tip of the Week

12 Weekly Educational Tips- Quarter 4 Mission- Taking time to give during the holiday season.
These weekly tips will hopefully inspire you to give back during these few months. Whether you’re giving to a non profit organization, your friends and neighbors, or to the environment, even the smallest actions make a big difference.

Great ideas for last minute holiday gifts, or for those people on your list who already have everything. Give a unique gift that really makes a difference.


Here’s a list of organizations to inspire you:
• Healthy Child Healthy World
• The Breast Cancer Fund
• Habitat for Humanity
• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Heifer International
• The Nature Conservancy
• Make-A-Wish Foundation
• Sustainable Harvest International
• UNICEF
• Donors Choose

Luna Mom's Club Tip of the Week

12 Weekly Educational Tips- Quarter 4 Mission- Taking time to give during the holiday season.
These weekly tips will hopefully inspire you to give back during these few months. Whether you’re giving to a non profit organization, your friends and neighbors, or to the environment, even the smallest actions make a big difference.

The average consumer wraps 20 gifts during the holidays. If just three of those gifts were wrapped in reused paper or a paper alternative, the paper saved could cover 45,000 football fields!


• Use decorative newspaper ads, colorful pages from magazines, old book pages, music sheets, old maps, calendars, or Sunday comics to wrap with.
• Chances are that if you have a child, you have heaps of drawings and paintings that you are constitutionally unable to throw away. Use that old art for wrapping paper.
• Cut wrapping paper or children’s art to fit the top and bottom of a gift box and permanently attach it—that way the box can be reused without having the paper ripped to open it.
• Reuse old ribbons and wrapping paper (if wrinkled, press with a warm iron).
• Use flowers, evergreen sprigs, rosemary sprigs (yum!), pinecones, yarn, or reusable hair ribbons instead of plastic bows.
• Use the fronts of old holiday cards as name tags for this year’s gifts.
• Create a scavenger hunt in your home by hiding unwrapped gifts and giving each of your family members clues to find them.

A Season of Giving

The focus of our Mom's With A Mission this quarter is about taking the time to give during the holiday season. Our Luna Mom's Club weekly tips will hopefully inspire you to give back this month.  At Stroller Strides we have organized two different ways for you to give back to our local community.


Our 4th Annual Toy Drive for Children's Memorial Hospital is off to a great start! We hosted a Discovery Toy party in November where we earned almost $200 in free toys for the hospital- thank you for everyone who was a part of that night! If you missed the get together, we are still collecting toys for the hospital. New, unwrapped toys are being collected in class until Wednesday, December 22nd. According to Children's website: "Many of the donations we receive are for school-age children, but as many as half of the patients at Children's Memorial are infants or toddlers, and 10 percent are teenagers. Both groups are often overlooked and would benefit from toys, books and games appropriate for their age level."

And secondly, we have put together a Luna Mom's Club and Stroller Strides Chicago Cookbook to benefit the Bundle of Joy Diaper Bank. Bundle of Joy is a not-for-profit Diaper Bank serving families in Chicago’s most economically depressed neighborhoods. Their mission is to ensure that every parent in Chicago has access to a supply of clean diapers for his or her child. More details about the Cookbook are below, as well as a sample recipe. $10 from the sale of each book goes directly to Bundle of Joy.

No matter how you choose to give this holiday season, whether you’re giving to a non profit organization, your friends and neighbors, or to the environment, even the smallest actions make a big difference.

Luna Mom's Club Tip of the Week

12 Weekly Educational Tips- Quarter 4 Mission- Taking time to give during the holiday season.

These weekly tips will hopefully inspire you to give back during these few months. Whether you’re giving to a non profit organization, your friends and neighbors, or to the environment, even the smallest actions make a big difference.

Tip- If you’re doing any holiday baking this season, double the batch and take an extra loaf of homemade bread or a dozen holiday cookies to a neighbor or friend who may be ill or just overwhelmed this holiday season.

10 Ways to Go Green This Holiday Season

10 ways to go GREEN for the holiday shopping season- courtesy of Lotions and Potions.  Whatever your agenda is for this holiday season, you can use these ideas to reduce your carbon footprint while you grab gifts for your loved ones. Have a safe & wonderful holiday and happy shopping!

1. Grab the Reusable Shopping Bags
Instead of taking your newly bought items home in a paper or plastic bag, bring your own reusable shopping bags to cut down on waste. You can purchase these bags from almost any grocery store, or you can check out the web for 100% Recycled Enviro-Tote Bags and order them online. You can even make your own Crochet Plastic Bag Tote.

2. Dress the Part
For people in the Midwest or on the East Coast, weather is usually pretty cold, so it's wise to dress warmly to endure the chilly shopping conditions. Layering your clothes will help you reduce the amount of heat you use in your car. Plus, you can always take your jacket or sweater off when you get inside the store. Once you dress the part you can shop the part by purchasing green clothes like T-Shirts Made from 100% Recycled Bottles, Recycled London Bus Seat Shoes or Clothing Made from Coffee.

3. Idle Cars Create CO2 Emissions
Let's say that you've pulled up to the store parking lot and the line wraps around the building. You can either brave the chilly weather and face the sleep-deprived shoppers by standing in line, or you can wait inside your car until the line shortens. If you decide to wait in your car don't let it run idle with the heat blasting and radio turned up loud. That uses a lot of extra gas, and thus creates more CO2 emissions. Instead, bring an extra blanket or jacket if it's cold, and then talk about how many people have crazy looks in their eyes. The time will definitely fly by!

4. Pay in a Green Way
You know that you're probably going to be spending a pretty penny this season, so if you have one you should definitely use a green credit card. Some green credit cards are made from recycled plastic, and others donate portions of your purchases to great non-profit and environmental organizations, so when you spend your money you won't feel completely horrible about the bill that you'll be getting. Also, if you like to write checks, think about carrying them in a recycled checkbook cover.

5. Buy Energy-Efficient Electronics
There's no doubt that many holiday shoppers will be looking for deals on electronics. If your goal is to buy a new TV, try to purchase one that is energy efficient and has an Energy Star Label on it. You'll save 40% more energy and have a great looking TV! The same goes for purchasing computers with an Energy Star label on them. They'll save you about 30% more energy.

6. Get Cookin' with Eco-Friendly Cookware
Along with deals on electronics, the holidays offer deals on home goods and cookware. These are the crock pots, coffeemakers, dish sets and pans that always make perfect Christmas gifts. Try to stray off the traditional gift-giving track by buying eco-friendly cookware. These products will not only help you to make great food, but they'll also protect the planet. Some examples are a solar cooker or a non-stick cooking cast iron skillet.

7. Have a Seat with Recycled Furniture
You can be green and extra hip if you purchase furniture that's made from recycled materials. Instead of buying that brand new Lazy Boy recliner or Broyhill sofa, how about recycled wood furniture, 100% recycled plastic furniture, FAS Concepts recycle furniture, or recycled skateboard furniture.

8. Get Recycled Jewelry
The holidays is a great time to pick up that perfect piece of jewelry. Instead of spending thousands of dollars you can be sincere and sustainable with recycled jewelry pieces. Some great ideas are recycled glass bottle earrings, recycled comic book bracelets, recycled aluminum can necklaces and discarded ocean plastic jewelry.

9. Recycle Waste
One of the most important green things to remember during this time of year is to recycle waste before, during and after your shopping extravaganzas. Lend a helping hand to the store cleaners by picking up trash while you sift through sweaters or DVD players. When you buy any food during the day make sure to recycle drink bottles or soda cans. If you bring the food home try to compost any leftovers. Go through your paper receipts and recycle the ones that you don't need. In other words, recycle what you can.

10. Eat Organic!!!
It's best to eat organically grown food, whether or not you're a vegan/vegetarian, and it's worth going to some trouble to get it. Organic food tastes better, is generally more nutritious, & protects the environment.

Winter Weather Reminders

It's official!  We've had our first snow fall of the season.  Here are some reminders to help get us through the winter at Stroller Strides!

• In an effort to keep the floor as dry as possible, if snow is on the ground, please bring a large towel to park your stroller on while the snow melts.
• We highly recommend wearing snow boots and changing in to your gym shoes once you are inside
• Don't leave your tubes in the car! Extreme temperature changes can cause your tubes to become brittle and snap. Toss your tubes in your diaper bag instead of your stroller. And remember, tubes aren't toys! Keep them safely away from your little ones when they are in your house.
• ALLOW EXTRA TIME! It takes extra time to get settled with all of the layers. Be sure to allow yourself at least 5 extra minutes of "settle" time when you get to class- in colder temperatures in particular, the warmup is a crucial part of your workout and we'd hate for you to be running behind and miss it.
• Class Cancellations- we will only cancel class in the event of EXTREME weather conditions- if in question, call the weather hotline 800.337.0826 an hour before class time for an update, or check our Facebook page.

Exercise of the Week- Wall Sit with Rear Fly

The Body Back mamas loved/hated this one on Wednesday night!

Cookbook for a Cause

Announcing the Stroller Strides and Luna Mom's Club Chicago Cookbook! The Cookbook is on sale now! We collected recipes from mom's in class and compiled them in to one book and it's ready for you to enjoy.

Healthy Everyday Recipes

by Luna Mom's Club and

Stroller Strides Chicago

$40

100% of the proceeds from the sale of the Cookbook will benefit Bundle of Joy Diaper Bank- just over $10 per book will go directly to Bundle of Joy!  Bundle of Joy is a not-for-profit Diaper Bank serving families in Chicago’s most economically depressed neighborhoods. Their mission is to ensure that every parent in Chicago has access to a supply of clean diapers for his or her child. For more information, visit: http://www.bundleofjoydiaperbank.org/. 

Recipes Include:

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos, from the kitchen of Victoria Slone

Chicken Tortilla Soup, from the kitchen of Jackie Dorris

Zucchini Pizza Bites, from the kitchen of Cheryl Hover

And many many more!  There are 100 recipes in the book.

We will have samples of the Cookbook available to view in class within the next few days. We will be taking orders via email or in class- if you are interested, please order by Wednesday, December 8th so that we can be sure to have everything here in time for the holidays!


Get one for your mom, your brother, your best friend and yourself of course! It's really a beautiful book and for a wonderful cause.

To Order:
Contact Jackie Dorris
Email: jackied@strollerstrides.net
Phone: 773.593.3915

What Is Your Indulgence?

Guest Blogger:  Courtney Sigmund, Stroller Strides Instructor

I asked a question last week in class that has kept me thinking- "What is your biggest indulgence as a Mom?" Of course, my favorite answer was "coming to Stroller Strides", but a lot of you had great ideas. For sure, hands down, my biggest indulgence is getting my house cleaned. Can I do it on my own? Yes. Can I make time? Yes. Would I rather spend that extra time playing with my 2 year old daughter and my 4 month old son? Absolutely.


It has taken a while to accept the help and not feel guilty. A lot of you seemed to feel that way too. As Moms, we are always thinking about eveyone else first and it is so easy to put our own needs on the back burner. It is so important that we step back and think of ourselves too. So, although your indulgence isn't going to soften the blow of those sleepless nights or make a toddler tantrum any less stressful, it is still important to check in with yourself once in a while and go off duty for a time "indulging" yourself in something that makes you happy.

Whether it be your twice monthly mani-pedi, a long phone-call with your best friend, your nap on the weekends, your spa day, your hour of exercise, your babysitter, your gossip magazine, a hot latte, your long bath, your date night with your husband, a nice glass of wine, or that regular girls night out, give yourself an indulgence and enjoy doing so! We deserve it! No guilt, no strings attached. Just you taking care of yourself, so that you can take better care of those most special little ones

Exercise of the Week: Resisted V Sit

Look for this one in Body Back tonight ladies!

Vendor of the Month- What is it?

We have recently brought back our Vendor of the Month (VOM) program, and I am so excited to have our November VOM join us for our mom's group tomorrow.  So what exactly is a Vendor of the Month?  As a mom-business owner myself, I like to help spread the word about other mom's who are out there working at making their own business a successs.  The VOM highlights other mom-owned businesses, with special offers for Striders.  Each VOM kindly donates a raffle prize for their month, and each time you attend Stroller Strides class during the given month, you are automatically entered in to a drawing for the prize.  All you have to do is come to class and you could win!  How great is that?  And each VOM also has a special offer, exclusively for Stroller Striders, during their featured month.

This month, Stella and Dot is our VOM.    Kick off the holiday-shopping season with fabulous jewelry from Stella & Dot!  Stella & Dot is a fun, fresh and modern jewelry line that is not available in stores. The celebrity-coveted styles have been featured in Lucky, In Style, and Cosmopolitan magazines. There are trend-setting pieces for every personality and price point…over half of the items are under $50!  Treat your friends and family…and yourself, of course to stylish gifts they will truly love this holiday! Throughout November, Stroller Strides moms will receive free shipping on orders over $60. Book an in-home trunk show and receive a $25 gift certificate in addition to the generous hostess rewards (FREE jewelry)!  To place an order or schedule a trunk show, please contact Amanda at 773.697.8814 or amandamanczak@yahoo.com. Check out her website at http://www.stelladot.com/sites/amandamanczak

Amanda will be joining our Luna Mom's Club tomorrow, November 22nd, at 12:00 pm in the Skybox room of the Fieldhouse.  Come meet Amanda and check out the fun Stella and Dot styles, they are perfect for the holidays!

And, as a special incentive for getting your workout in this week- each time you attend Stroller Strides this week, you will get TWO entries in to the VOM drawing. 

Do you know someone who would be a good fit for the Vendor of the Month?  Contact me for more details! 

Exercise of the Week! Lat Pull Down with Reverse Lunge

Luna Mom's Club Tip of the Week

Everyone loves the smell of a fire during the holiday season. But wood burning fireplaces introduce unique hazards, including the possible emission of toxic chemicals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identifies some of these toxic chemicals as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dioxin and inhalable particulate matter. These air pollutants can cause a wide range of health problems such as burning eyes, coughing, headaches and bronchitis.
To minimize the emission of toxic chemicals with a wood-burning fire:
• Only burn dry seasoned hardwoods like oak, hickory and ash
• Avoid burning soft woods like pine and cedar
• Avoid burning wet wood and wood treated in any way (like painted wood, plywood, etc.)
• Never burn plastics, cardboard, garbage, gift wrapping, magazines, etc.

If you want the beauty of a fire without the big environmental impact, light soy or beeswax candles. Get several large pillar candles or varying heights and place them on a flat surface in your fireplace. They are cleaner and gentler on the environment, but are every bit as beautiful and fragrant. Plus they last longer!

Mom's Night Out- Shop for a Cause!

Join us for a Discovery Toy party! Do some holiday shopping from the comfort of my sofa with a glass of wine (or mocktail..) in hand! Discovery Toys has been helping parents to "Teach. Play. Inspire." with high-quality educational toys, books, games and music for over three decades. Check out their website at http://www.discoverytoys.com/

We earn free toys for hosting the party, which will be donated to Children's Memorial Hospital as part of our Toy Drive for the holidays.

Come shop for yourself, your family or for toys to donate. Or just join us for a night out and some adult conversation- no pressure to buy :)

Contact me for details!  It's at 7:30 at my place.  I hope you can join us!

..

Canned Food Drive This Week!

Canned Food Drive- All This Week at Stroller Strides!

We will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Lakeview Pantry all this week at class.   We have so much to be thankful for, let's kick off the holiday season with a fun specialty class!  Join us for a Canned Food Specialty class on Monday the 16th at 11:00 and Thursday the 18th at 9:30,   at the Windy City Fieldhouse!

IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE BRING TWO CANNED FOOD ITEMS to the Canned Food Classes! WE WILL BE USING THE CANS DURING OUR WORKOUT!! Afterwards, we will be collecting all items to be donated to the Lakeview Pantry.

Can't make it to class on Monday or Thursday?  No problem!  Instructor's will be collecting food all week long at Stroller Strides class.

On Monday, stick around for the Mom's Group afterwards where we will make Turkey Hand decorations!  A perfect keepsake for the scrapbook or baby book.

10,000 Stride Challenge- Are You In?

Are you wondering how you will stay motivated to exercise during the busy holiday season?

Do you feel like a little friendly competition?

Introducing the 10,000 Strides Challenge!

GOAL: To walk 10,000 steps per day for 6 weeks over the Thanksgiving through New Year’s holiday.

As moms, we know how busy the holiday season can get. It is so easy to veer off track of your fitness program and begin making excuses. At Stroller Strides, we have created a fun team challenge to help you stay active through the crazy holiday season.
Wearing a pedometer, you will track how many steps you take each day. This will be a team competition- teams of 3 will be organized. Think 10,000 steps sounds like a lot? I bet you would be surprised how many steps you walk a day just being a mom. You will wear the pedometer from the time you get up in the morning, until you go to bed at night- including Stroller Strides class! Traveling a lot during the holidays? Don't worry! All you have to do is email/text your total strides to your team captain once a week. The great thing about this Challenge is that you can walk anywhere, not just at Stroller Strides class.

The Challenge will begin on Monday, November 22nd and end on Sunday, January 2nd.

Registration is due by Monday, November 15th!

Print your 10,000 Stride Challenge Registration Form and sign up now to start the holiday's off on the right foot!
COST: $10 (which covers the cost of your pedometer)
PRIZE: Knowing that you got through the holiday season being healthier and more active!
The winning team will also win Team Stroller Strides jerseys.

Weekly Recipe- Sweet Potato and Split Pea Soup

This soup is perfect for a cool fall day!
From the Whole Foods website

Serves 8


Ingredients
8 1/2 cups water
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cups dried yellow split peas
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Bring 1/2 cup water to simmer in a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in ginger and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add remaining 8 cups water, peas and sweet potato cubes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Uncover and continue to simmer 15 minutes. Carefully purée soup with a hand held immersion blender or in batches in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 14oz/387g-wt.): 290 calories (50 from fat), 6g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 30mg sodium, 44g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 18g protein

Stroller Strides on Good Morning America

Check out Stroller Strides founder Lisa Druxman on GMA this morning! 

Mommy and Me Workout

Luna Mom's Club tip of the week

This quarter, the focus of our Luna Mom's Club is taking the time to give during the holiday season.  Our weekly tips will hopefully inspire you to give back during these few months. Whether you’re giving to a non profit organization, your friends and neighbors, or to the environment, even the smallest actions make a big difference.

Week #6:  Do another round of cleaning out all the closets in your house and donate them to a local charity. With the holidays coming up, there are plenty of organizations who need gently used items like clothing, books and toys.

Aaaaand We're Back!

Halloween Bash 2010
Originally uploaded by dorris.jackie

I am so excited to relaunch our Stroller Strides Chicago Blog. It's been awhile since my last entry, but I can't wait to start connecting with everyone again.

I thought the best way to get things started was to share the photos from our 3rd Annual Halloween Bash on Friday, October 29th. Here is the link to the photos on flickr. A great big "thank you!" to Michelle Freeman Photography who captured all of the fun and excitement on film. The flickr photos are just a selection, you can view all of the photos on Michelle's website www.michellefreemanphotography.com, under client proofing, password Stroller Strides.

This is my favorite shot of all of the instructor's with their kiddo's. Doing a wall sit of course. LOVE IT!  And at this point, Mr. Bones is definitely part of the Stroller Strides family :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55689505@N02/sets/72157625218813589/