LUNAFEST- A Great Success!

Well, it's been awhile since my last blog post.  But I have a great excuse!  I've been working very hard on planning our first LUNAFEST event presented by the LUNA Mom's Club and Stroller Strides Chicago.  LUNAFEST was held on Tuesday April 12th at the Music Box Theatre and it was a huge success!  It was a night to celebrate women, and a celebration we did have!

At the welcome reception we enjoyed some beautiful appetizers prepared by Devon Seafood.  After everyone took their seats, Kristen Conn from mightynest.com joined us to speak a little bit more about the Breast Cancer Fund and the preventable causes of breast cancer.  Do you want to find out more yourself?  Visit http://www.pureprevenion.org/ to learn about 5 steps that you can take to decrease your risk.  After Kristen spoke, we began the film screening.  All of the films were short films by, for and about women: "The Translator"; "Getting a Grip";"Mother of Many" to name a few.  We laughed, we cried, it was incredible. The films were very diverse- from animation to documentary- and we enjoyed them all.

After the screening we hosted an after-party at Blue Bayou and a silent auction.  Everyone mingled and enjoyed a cocktail with their friends, some sweet treats from Sensational Bites and discussed the films among other things :)  People shopped the silent auction- a few favorite items were Cubs Tickets, private Pilates classes, a Photography gift certificate and many many more.    

Overall, LUNAFEST was a HUGE success!  We raised $1792!  We couldn't be more pleased with our first event.  The Breast Cancer Fund will receive $388 and our local non-profit, Neighborhood Parents Network will receive $1404. 

A great big thank you to our event sponosors- Growing Smiles Pediatric Dentistry and Kickin' active boutique for moms-to-be and babes!   And we could not have planned this event without our amazing volunteers- you know who you are, thank you thank you!  And of course, thank you to everyone who attended LUNAFEST!  Your support is truly appreciated and we hope that you enjoyed the event.

Stay tuned for a save the date for our LUNAFEST next year!

Luna Mom's Club Q1 Mission

Only 1 out of 10 women who have breast cancer have a genetic history of the disease, what we put on and in our bodies can make the difference. The objective of this “Moms with a Mission” quarter is to educate our LUNA Moms Club members and others in our community about the environmental and other preventable causes of breast cancer.  Our 12 Weekly Tips this quarter will focus on breast cancer awareness.  Here are the weekly tips for 2011 thus far!

Week #1: Less than 10% of breast cancers occur in women with a genetic predisposition to the disease. Visit www.breastcancerfund.org to learn more.

Week #2: http://www.pureprevention.org/.
The Pure Prevention Campaign is a collaborative effort between LUNA and the Breast Cancer Fund (BCF). The initiative aims to raise awareness about the environmental causes of breast cancer and empower women to live actively, healthy and well. Considering 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and only 10% of the causes of breast cancer are genetic this is a very important message to get across! By learning the facts, we can make smart choices about the products we use every day.
Pure Prevention focuses on 5 Tips for easy, everyday actions to help reduce the risk of breast cancer:
Tip#1 Make your home a chemical-free sanctuary.

Week #3: www.pureprevention.org. Tip#2 Buy organic and local when possible. Be wary of pesticides.

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.

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

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! 

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!

..

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.

Replenish the Well

Today I was reading through an email I got from one of our partners Luna Bar about postpartum depression. There were some great suggestions for taking care of yourself during the postpartum period. I thought the tips could easily relate to the everyday life of a mom, not just those who are recently postpartum, so I wanted to share with you all.

Suggestions for taking care of yourself during the postpartum period

· Even if you are unable to sleep, try to rest when the baby sleeps. Your body has worked hard to create the baby you delivered, and your body needs to recover.
· Eat healthfully. Avoid ‘junk food’ and try to eat recommended servings of fruits, vegetables and grains daily. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and sugary drinks, opting for water instead.
· Try to exercise regularly. Physical activity releases endorphins in the brain, resulting in a ‘natural high’.
· Ask for and accept help. Realize that there are no perfect mothers, and that everyone needs help from time to time. Also remember that others are unable to read your mind, but are often willing to help in any way possible. Concrete suggestions (“please wash and put away the baby’s laundry”) will ensure that you are getting the help you want the most.
· Avoid stress when possible. For example, if you know the news broadcast on the radio will upset you, put in some favorite music or change the station. Take time for your relationship. Try doing things you enjoyed doing ‘pre-baby’ together. Make regular ‘dates’ with yourself. Schedule time for you to go to the park, get your nails done, take a walk, or whatever it is that soothes you. As a mother you give of yourself seemingly constantly. You need time to ‘replenish the well’ so that you can feel healthy and more relaxed

Here we go!

Ok, so I've decided to give this whole blogging thing a shot. I am now officially a blogger! I created this blog to help spread the word about Stroller Strides, a fitness programs for moms that has absolutely changed my life. I am always asked in class how I got started, so here's my story:


I had my daughter M in September 2006. I returned to work after 8 weeks maternity leave to find that my entire mindset had changed. I just couldn't bear leaving her at home with someone else, while I went to work and counted the hours down until I got home. So I began looking in to other options. I had seen the Stroller Strides on the Today show years ago, before I'd had children, and it seemed like such a great program! Mom's could get a great workout, meet other moms and do it all with their baby. I looked up Stroller Strides online to see if there were any classes in the area. When I found out that there was no location in the City yet, something clicked. One thing led to another, and I decided to take a leap of faith and start Stroller Strides Chicago.


I became a Certified Group Fitness Instructor through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and Stroller Strides Certified in pre and post natal fitness. We started offering classes in July of last year, and have been going strong ever since.

So what is it I LOVE about Stroller Strides? Everything! Not only is Stroller Strides an excellent workout, but it's fun. We keep things fresh and change things up as much as possible so there is no getting bored with your workout. It's not like you dread going to Stroller Strides like you may dread going to the gym to squeeze in that workout. You get to stay with your little one, get to see your friends in class and get a great workout- what more could you ask for? More? Ok, well not only do we have 7 classes a week to choose from, but we have playgroups 2 times a week, Mom's Night's Out at least once a month, and special afternoon playtimes. Stroller Strides is as much a social and support network of moms as it is an exercise class.

Want to check out our current schedule? Visit Stroller Strides Chicago for more information. Your first class is always FREE! You can sign up for a FREE preview online.