You know what? I deserve it!

It is not easy admitting that you deserve a vacation. I am down at the beach with my family for a fun, relaxing week. Although, I do have a hard time calling it 'vacation' as I reserve that for a get-away sans kids where I do NOTHING but what I want...this week is family-time. We are getting special family time at the beach.

So why is it so hard to RELAX? Because I am trying to make every second so meaningful for my daughters. My niece is here who we don't get to see very often, and I want the girls to spend tons of quality time together. That means waking up when they do, spending my morning building sand castles (did I mention how much I HATE sand in my bathing suit) and swimming in the pool. The afternoon is back at the beach, preparing dinner, and riding bikes for an ice cream treat. Not much ME time, and I do tend to get stressed.

As Lisa Druxman talks about in the Stroller Strides blog, MOM-ME time is important! So I promise to take some time each day for me. Tomorrow, I am taking a long run with my hubby and brother. Tuesday I am going to meditate on the beach at sunrise, Wednesday I am going for a run by myself (no headphones, just my own thoughts), Thursday I am going to spend some time with friends, and Friday I am going to workout on the beach. I am so excited to make these special moments a priority on this trip!

I miss all my Stroller Strides mommies this week and will see you soon!!

The Olympics are Coming!!!

This is something I look forward to every 4 years! I absolutely love the Olympics. I am a fan of many of the sports, particularly gymnastics, diving, triathlon, and swimming. I competed in all three of these sports when I was younger. I was never very competitive, but I love watching these young athletes.

This will be the first time that I can watch the Olympics with my almost-4-year-old. She is totally addicted to gymnastics and is learning to swim. I cannot wait to sit down with her to see the competition. There are lots to teach a child through sports. Just to name a few:

• respect for health and fitness
• how to perform under pressure
• the importance of hard-work and dedication
• how to overcome disappointment
• perserverance

Not that I think my daughters will be world-class athletes, but I do believe that getting them involved in athletics can help in all aspects of life. I am excited to share this year's Olympics with my girls. Go Team USA!

But first to come is the Tour de France starting in July...another sporting event I am totally addicted to!!

If you don't do it for you...do it for your children...

I have been reading this week's Time Magazine special articles on Childhood Obesity. It is really sad to see how much weight our children are gaining because of poor food choices and lack of exercise.

They are calling our kids - GENERATION O for Obesity. Did you know that our children may be the first generation in history to have a SHORTER life expectancy than their parents. NO, I won't allow it!!

We need to take action and teach our children the importance of healthy foods and WHY you need to select fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc over the processed foods. I find myself daily explaining to my 3.5 year-old what foods are healthy and how they effect her body. We joke around and say that the peas and green beans will make her jump higher (so she eats them, jumps up and down, and we let her know how high she is going!). She loves to point out foods and let us know which are healthy and which aren't.

Being on a budget myself, I know that it is expensive to select the whole grains and fresh fruits and veggies over the other stuff. In the Time magazine article, it states that between 1989 and 2005 the price of fruits and veggies increased 74.6% and the price of fats fell 26.5%. That is so sad!! I personally sacrifice in other areas to compensate for the higher food prices. I also shop around to find good prices, and finally I have become a 'locavore' and buy as much local produce as possible. I shop at local food markets and food stands.

Next comes exercise! Teach your children how much FUN exercise can be! Doing Stroller Strides will instill values in your children forever. They will want to mimic mommy and do exercises where ever they go! My children have done Stroller Strides since they were just a few months old. At 2 my daughter, dropped to the ground in the middle of Costco and started doing push-ups! She leads me in exercises as we play at home. My 11-month old loves to watch me do jumping jacks and laughs everytime she sees me do crunches (I play peek-a-boo when I do them). Instill these values in them from a very early age.

Finally, if you want your children to be healthy you MUST model healthy behaviors. Do it with them! Give them a chance for a long, healthy life! You owe it to them!

Get to Know Your Instructors - Courtney!

1. My name is Courtney Alison Via
2. I always liked my name, so when I got married, Idropped my maiden name (Parker).
3. My husband also liked my name and chose Alison forour daughter.
4. My son is named Peyton.
5. Although I love everything about football, he is not named after Peyton Manning.
6. Speaking of football, I was always jealous of mybrother playing football.
7. There was something appealing to me about dressing up in protective gear and running into people.
8. I guess that makes me a tomboy. I certainly havethe scarred legs to prove it.
9. After all, I was 'blessed' (or cursed) with the Parker broad shoulders.
10. I mean if you line me up next to my Dad and his brothers, the shoulders are unbelievable.
11. It is a shame that broad shoulders are not too flattering if you are a girl.
12. It is also a shame that clothing designers are just now catching on that girls can be tall too. And by the way, some girls have long arms too.
13. I have an older brother and a younger sister. They are two of the best people I know.
14. Neither one of them has broad shoulders and they are both vertically challenged.
15. I on the other hand am tall for a female. I am 5'8 ¾.
16. I have an inseam of 33 ½. This makes it difficultto buy pants when the average inseam for females is 32.
17. As a result, I love capris.
18. I am not a procrastinator. I plan to plan.
19. I make lists daily to keep myself on track.
20. I am not sure if this is overcompensating forADD or maybe distracted mom syndrome.
21. I don't remember the day that I became taller than my big brother, but I am sure he does.
22. My brother went to UVA.
23. Ironically enough, so did my husband and my bestfriend. (I love all of them despite it.)
24. I, on the other hand, went to Virginia Tech. Go HOKIES!
25. Everything is fairly peaceful in our house, with the exception of the big football game - UVA vs. TECH. It is amazing how powerful the rivalry really is!
26. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
27. I love Thanksgiving because of the family time and great food.
28. I love to eat. Food is sooooooo good.
29. There is nothing like a great meal with friends and family.
30. I have several friends that I consider a part of our family.
31. I have been called un-American (by my in-laws) because I do not like hotdogs or chocolate.
32. I love a good cookout...but count me out if there is nothing but hotdogs.
33. I love Mexican food...especially the margaritas.
34. I am a very patient person.
35. I met my husband in 1998. We dated for 2 ½ years before we were engaged. We were engaged for 13 months before we FINALLY got married.
36. I was formerly an 8th grade science teacher. I loved the teaching, but not the 'other' stuff.
37. Being a stay at home mom is definitely the hardest, but most rewarding job.
38. I love my kids very much and get great joy out of seeing them grow and change on a daily basis.
39. I am currently a fitness instructor for moms. I love it!
40. I have grown to love exercising and it is now a necessity for my sanity.
41. As a mom, I have realized that I can push myself further and further with exercise and life.
42. I hate running. Since joining Stroller Strides, I have completed 2 5Ks and have set goals to up the distance in the next 18 months.
43. I frequently remind myself, that if I can push out two babies, I can do anything.
44. My badge of motherhood includes giving birth (speaking of pushing) to a 9 lb 13 oz baby boy one week early. Ouch!
45. I am eternally grateful that he was a week early. Although it was an extremely tough delivery, it was the recovery that got me. Wow!
46. With my second pregnancy, I had a 2 vesicleumbilical cord.
47. Apparently, there is a 1% chance of this occurring, but very few people have heard of it.
48. Due to this complication, Alison was supposed to be 'tiny.' She was born 2 weeks early and weighed inat 6 lbs 15 oz. I would say that is closer to average.
49. Apparently, with the cord and my genes for big babies, out she came perfectly average.
50. I'll take that any day over Peyton?s monstroussize.
51. I enjoyed being pregnant (right up until the end).
52. I found it fascinating what the human body can do to accommodate that little baby growing inside.
53. As a result of my first pregnancy, my allergist told me that my body hit its overload.
54. I never suffered from severe allergy symptoms until then. I was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis.
55. When I was given allergy testing, they tested 31 items and I was allergic to 29. They seem to think that 2 negatives were a fluke.
56. After my second pregnancy, the nearsighted vision in my right eye corrected itself.
57. I now only wear one contact.
58. I love to travel and see new places, but have not done nearly enough of it.
59. My husband and I are hoping to travel during retirement years.
60. I do not like anything about hotels.
61. I will not touch my skin with any hotel blanket,comforter, etc. and I wear shower shoes in the shower.
62. I went to Disneyworld on my honeymoon.
63. We went back during each of my pregnancies.
64. We would go to visit 'Mickey's castle' as it is affectionately referred to in my house every year if we could.
65. I am looking forward to going early next year when I am not pregnant.

Meet Your Instructors - Julia!

1. My name is Julia.
2. You may see it as “rossicize” on the chat board.
3. I got that nickname from a client; well actually a family; that I trained several years ago.
4. I worked as a full time personal trainer in NYC for 5 years, as well as teach Pilates mat classes.
5. Yes, I trained a few “stars” (made it on Page Six of the NY Post---for those of you who are familiar).
6. I started with my first client at 6AM! What a great preparation for those early morning feedings of a newborn!
7. Back to Page Six, it served as light reading (along with the headlines) between clients with breakfast.
8. The best meal…from the deli…was what (we- the trainers) named “the grease sandwich”. Scrambled eggs with cheese and turkey on a toasted sesame bagel with butter and a coffee.
9. And yes, I think the best coffee comes from the dirtiest looking deli.
10. Besides my passion for fitness; which I’ve loved to be able to work with fellow moms since moving to Richmond 2 years ago; I also was a professional modern dancer.
11. I “retired” after my last performance while 5 ½ months pregnant with Benjamin.
12. Some highlights of dancing in NYC- being named in the NY Times, having a cartoon drawn of our company in the New Yorker Magazine, dancing in the windows of Grand Central Station (which by the way, my husband happened to see as he was passing through going about life several years before we actually met!!)…
13. And some lowlights would definitely be the lack of pay- mere pennies per hour of rehearsals, traveling, performing, etc.
14. However, just like I feel about motherhood (and being a “stay at home mom”)- the job is priceless and when you really love something/ someone; pay is irrelevant.
15. I enjoy listening to others and sharing stories. (So, if you want any star gossip—just ask).
16. But, seriously, I am interested in everyone’s unique path in life.
17. I read a quote many years ago that I often think of: “everyone in life knows something that you don’t know, but need to know, so learn from them.”
18. My path continues as we prepare for the Rossi girl’s arrival.
19. “Rossicize” evolves as change is a constant.

Meet Your Instructors - Tonia!

See Tonia's entire list at http://racingwithbabes.blogspot.com/2008/03/100-things-about-me.html

1. My name is Tonia (Toe-Knee-Ahh).
2. I have always had a bit of distain for my name, as I have rarely met a person who could pronounce it correctly without hearing it first.
3. Because my name is unique, I wanted somewhat unique names for my children. My plan kind of backfired. My older daughter's name, while unique for a girl was the fifth most popular name for a boy the year she was born and my youngest daughter's name was the 22nd most popular in the year I bestowed it on her.
4. My sisters do not have unique names. My parents chose Angela and Gina for them. So not fair!
5. I always wanted two children, preferably a boy and a girl, even more preferably born in a bubble. Neither of those things happened.
6. I am thankful that they didn’t.
7. When I met my husband, I thought he had a huge gap between his front teeth. He doesn’t.
8. Both of my children do.
9. I got married in the Bahamas.
10. It was one of the best days of my life.
11. One of the most memorable things that happened that day had nothing to do with me. My little sister fainted during the photos. Scary then. Funny now.
12. I don’t like waiting … for anything.
13. I am a quick decision maker. I bought a house, got married and was pregnant with my first child in a matter of four months.
14. I had my first child young … I was 23.
15. It was the best decision I ever made.
16. Two of my biggest accomplishments are graduating from an Ivy League university and finishing a marathon.
17. My other two biggest accomplishments are my daughters.
18. Proof of the first two is hanging on my wall. I would hang my children on the wall too, but I think that is frowned upon.
19. I finished college in three years.
20. I did it because I was sick and tired of both school and accruing student loans.
21. I have never had a real job (i.e. one I could support myself with).
22. However, being a stay-at-home mom is more job than I could have ever wanted.
23. I currently work part-time as a fitness director.
24. It is my passion.
25. I used to hate running and would avoid it at all costs.
26. I still hate running, but I run at least four days a week and am mildly addicted.
27. I used to be overweight.
28. That is no longer the case and on more than one occasion have been told that I need to eat something.
29. When I was 12 I broke my pelvis and dislocated my hip.
30. I was on bed-rest for two and a half months.
31. Although my doctors were sure that I would never return to sports I did, and I competed through college.
32. The only lasting effect of the injury is that my right leg is an inch and a half longer than my left.
33. I am a two-time NJ State Champion in the shot put.
34. I still hold numerous county and school records in both the shot put and the discus.
35. I have two tattoos, one is a discus thrower.
36. The other is Chinese symbols.
37. I want a third – a shamrock and my children’s initials.
38. At one point in my life, I had 12 ear piercings, in addition to a belly ring, an eyebrow ring, and a tongue ring.
39. I still have the belly ring.
40. I started dating my husband while on a trip to England.
41. We dated for 10 months before becoming engaged.
42. We didn’t live in the same state until a month before our wedding.
43. If given three wishes, I would wish for wealth for my family, health for my family, and for my father to be able to meet my husband and children.
44. If I was only given one wish, I would wish for my father to meet my husband and children.
45. My father passed away when I was 20.
46. It was the worst moment of my life.
47. It was also one of the best moments of my life. It completely changed my perspective on life and how I approach things. It made me into the person that I have become and that is a person that I am 100 percent happy with, both inside and out.
48. I miss him everyday.
49. I have known my best friend for 23 years.
50. I am only 26 years old.
51. I was the first of my friends to get married and have children.
52. This makes me feel much older than I am.
53. But it will also make for an early empty nest.
54. I watch too much TV.
55. My favorites are teenage dramas and reality shows.
56. I could live off hamburgers and ice cream, but I would have to workout far more than I do now.
57. I have taken a vow to not buy any clothes this year.
58. Or toys for my children.
59. We have enough of both.
60. I write lists for everything, including other lists.

Get to Know Your Instructors - Allison!

1. My name Allison Padow.
2. I have 4 boys whose names all start with the letter C. Carson, Chase, Cade & Cole.
3. They are all different in their own little ways. Carson is my helper, cuddler, and sweetheart. Chase is my wild and crazy boy, who can have fun doing anything. Cade is my quiet boy who takes everything in. He has a huge imagination. Cole is a little bit of everyone. He is really smart and learns how to do things the first time. He is a helper, extremely athletic, but also very sneaky!
4. I had all of my kids before I was 28. I am very happy about that and hope to see them as well as their children grow up!
5. I have a brother Andy who is 18 months younger and a sister Tricia who is 3 years younger. We are all very very close. I even danced to a special song with them at my wedding.
6. I always wanted twins but I never thought it would happen to me!
7. I am thankful for my boys and love watching them grow and learn new things everyday!
8. I have been married for 5 years and been with Lance for 8 years.
9. We got married on the same exact day we met, June 22nd. Funny thing is he knew that, I didn’t!
10. I use to be a preschool teacher. It is amazing that sometimes being a teacher was easier than being a mom. They listened to me and my kids don’tJ
11. I feel so lucky to stay at home with my boys. It is such a huge blessing!1
12. My favorite color has always been green!
13. Family is the most important thing in my life.
14. My mom is my hero and my best friend.
15. I love sports and played soccer all the way through school and was the only girl on my travel soccer team for 10 years.
16. In high school I played Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball. We won the state championship twice, my sophomore and senior year.
17. My coaches still can put the fear of god in me, but they taught me so much about teamwork, patience, dedication, and leadership.
18. I still play Volleyball once a week at RVC.
19. I don’t have any tattoos but would get one and plan to get 2. My brother and sister planned to all get matching ones and now my mom and dad want to go with us.
20. The other will be of 4 daisies that stand for my boys.
21. I have been doing Stroller Strides since the very first day 3 years ago. I have been teaching for 2 years.
22. I like to run and wish I had more time to run.
23. I have always been a runner and ran my first 5K when I was in 3rd grade. I was the youngest runner in the race and came in first place for my age division, which was 14 and under. I was also the first Powhatan female runner to come across the finish line. I was featured in the Powhatan Today, which to me was a big deal.
24. I am very competitive!
25. I have not eaten chocolate in a year and a half and decide to give up potatoes this year.
26. I don’t drink soda. I have never liked it!
27. I am very organized, but I guess you have to be with 4 children. Sometimes I drive myself crazy with it.
28. I love being outside and can’t wait to start taking the boys camping. When I say the boys, I mean Lance too. He has only slept in a tent once.
29. I grew up playing in creeks, getting muddy, playing hide and seek in the dark, climbing trees, catching fireflies, chasing cows and riding horses. I miss that and wish my children could grow up like that.
30. My favorite food is Mexican. I could eat it everyday!
31. I wish I liked or knew how to cook. We eat out way more than we should.
32. I wish I could spend more time with my children one on one. It makes me so happy to do things with them by themselves.
33. Once I took Chase to the bookstore and to Starbucks and afterwards he told me “Mommy this was the best day ever!”
34. I cried!
35. Mostly I just hope they all know how much they mean to me!
36. My hobbies are scrapbooking, volleyball, and reading.
37. I try to read at least one book a month.
38. My favorite book this year has been The Book of Great IdeasStroller Strides has been the best thing I ever did for myself! I feel good, I am with my kids, and I have made some of my very best friends!

Meet your Stroller Strides Instructors!

The next couple of blogs will be submissions from your Stroller Strides instructors so you can get to know them a little better. I recommending doing this (it can be very therapeutic) and sending it to me, I will be happy to post some from our Striders themselves!!

The first one is from ME!

1. My name is Rachel Pustilnik
2. I have 2 girls – Morgan is almost 4 and Olivia is almost 1
3. Being a mom is the hardest and most rewarding job I have ever had.
4. I have never second-guessed myself so much until I had kids.
5. Now I do it every couple of hours of every day!
6. I grew up in Richmond and live now about 3 miles from the house I lived in my entire life until I went to college.
7. If we stay in the same house we are in now, my girls will go to the same middle school my husband and I went to.
8. I did spend about 10 years away from Richmond – 4 at Virginia Tech, 4 in Atlanta, and 2 in Charleston, SC.
9. I love Charleston…living at the beach is so much fun!
10. Atlanta was a lot of fun for me too but it was just too big of a city.
11. It was the perfect place for me to live immediately after college – it is the best place for a single professional to be!
12. I have a BS in Biological Systems Engineering which is basically Environmental Engineering.
13. I have never used my degree one day in my life except having an engineering background is how I got my first job out of college.
14. That job taught me everything I know now about running a business and managing other people.
15. In the 3 years I worked there, I managed several million-dollar projects and 10 employees.
16. I also had to fire 3 people. That was not fun and I never want to do that again.
17. I quit that job because it was not emotionally satisfying for me. They offered me a $25,000 raise to stay, and I turned it down.
18. I needed to do something that made a difference in other peoples lives…so I tried Grad School
19. I went to Graduate School at the College of Charleston to get my masters in Marine Biology.
20. I thought I could save the planet.
21. I couldn’t.
22. I didn’t like the program there – it wasn’t for me so I quit before I finished.
23. It’s the only thing I have ever quit in my entire life. I will always regret that.
24. I have known my husband since I was 5 years old.
25. He has been my brother’s best friend since they were in 5th grade together. He was my favorite of all my brother’s friends (and the cutest)!
26. We dated for 2 months in 1997 before I graduated from college but it was like dating my brother – yeck!
27. We waited 4 more years to start dating again and this time we knew it was the final time.
28. I regret not being with him during those years.
29. We started dating for the second (and final time) when we both decided to train for the Atlanta half-marathon together.
30. That is such a special thing to do with someone you love and I am excited to do it again this year for the Richmond Marathon.
31. He proposed over a sushi dinner. When I told my mom, the first thing she asked was ‘Are your nails painted?’
32. Of course they weren’t. She knows me too well.
33. My mom and I have been close my entire life. We don’t go much more than 24 hours without talking or seeing each other.
34. I called her from college (300 miles away) to ask where my sweaters were.
35. She would know exactly what dresser drawer they were in.
36. I am very spoiled.
37. We have 2 dogs – Stoli is an 8-year-old Weimareiner and Cooper is a 7 year-old mutt.
38. I have had Stoli longer than I have been with Jack.
39. I got Stoli as a running partner. That backfired – the more you exercise a dog, the more energy they have.
40. She sleeps on our bed – in between us, with her body under the blankets and her head on the pillow. I spoon my dog more than I spoon my husband.
41. I have 3 tattoos…the first is a gecko in the middle of my low back (aka tramp stamp).
42. The second is an infinity symbol on my inner ankle in memory of my best friend, Brandon Wilburn, who tragically lost his life in 2000.
43. The third is a design of my girls’ initials on the outside of my ankle. I just got this one in February and I love it!
44. I want 1 more – on the inside of my wrist
45. In high school, I was a cheerleader and on the gymnastics team, and I also danced for The Concert Ballet of Virginia.
46. I learned a lot about the real world in ballet but also made lifelong friends.
47. I graduated 9th in my high school class.
48. I love triathlons, but I haven’t done one since before I got pregnant with Olivia.
49. I miss the rush of racing.
50. My life goal is to complete an Ironman and I will begin training for one in 2010 when Olivia begins preschool 5-days per week.
51. My husband and my girls are the best things in my life.
52. It physically hurts when I cannot be around them.
53. I never knew love could feel like this.

I am NO meteorologist!!!

I absolutely love everything about owning my own Stroller Strides business!! I do, really! Not many people can say that about their jobs. I don't even consider what I do a job because it is so fun helping new moms accomplish healthy lifestyle goals!! I enjoy every class I teach, every email I send, and every mom I talk to. It really is a passion!

OK, so I lied just a little bit! There is one teeny-tiny thing I don't enjoy about my business - predicting the weather! Between April through November, our classes are held outside. We are outside assuming its not raining, too hot, or too cold. When anyone of these weather conditions exist, we move classes to our indoor locations.

As a woman who LIVES by her schedule, I understand what it can do to a mom to change things around on her last minute. Life with a baby is unpredictable enough, no one wants an excuse to not make it to exercise class!! I mean making a class 30 minutes earlier or changing a location just 5 miles difference can blow an entire day!! Unfortunately, one of our indoor locations (VA Center Commons Mall) requires that our classes end at 10am so we have to start at 9am where most of our outside classes begin at 9:30 or 10am.

So during the months we are outside, I have to play the role of meteorologist, and this I really DO NOT ENJOY! I wake up (usually at 4:30am) and the first thing I do is turn on the weather channel. I watch 3 different channels all morning long - The Weather Channel, NBC12, and CBS 6. I feel like I know the local meteorolgists personally! I know what channel has what temperatures predicted for what day of the week. Its a little crazy!! Andrew Frieden on NBC always gives a great report which usually includes 'if you are going to be outside this morning,....' That is so nice!! So after hours of watching the news in the morning, I finally make a decision by 8am where class will be held.

Most of the time, its a no-brainer. Either full sun or pouring rain. That is simple. It was days like yesterday (WEDNESDAY) that threw me for a loop. It had rained a little bit overnight and was still a bit cloudy. But here is the clincher - there was a TORNADO warning in effect until 10am. No way did I want classes to be held outside in fear of a tornado. Not a good idea with babies :) So I moved classes inside. Now, those of you who do Stroller Strides know that once I make a decision on where classes will be held, I stick with it! Too many people rely on my toll-free number announcement or my Yahoo Chat Room post. The last thing I want is for someone to show up to an outdoor class and not have an instructor there!

So at 7am, I decided to move classes inside bc of the Tornado warning. Then at 8:30am, they lifted the warning, why? Because it was BRIGHT AND SUNNY! There was no rain and no wind. UUGH! So needless to say, I had to stick with my decision to have classes inside. So, unfortunately, classes were held inside the mall while the sun was shining outside. That is the part of this business I do not enjoy!! I am sorry if this may have caused any problems for anyone!!

Many days I do get my weather predictions correct, but there will be those days when I totally botch it! Just roll with the punches and ALWAYS call the toll-free number after 8am to hear where class will be held!!