To See The World From The Eyes of a Child In Potty Training

Oh, what a perspective! The loo has never been (and probably will not be again in the future) so much fun! Rewards, dances, songs ... all for hitting the "target".

We've found success, and along the way, we've traveled down various paths:

• Cheerios: bad idea. They just upset my son because I threw them in the potty when they should in fact be eaten.
• Songs and Dances: work when he's in the mood, otherwise forget it.
• Stickers: Good, but then he starts negotiating for more. Really? A 2-year old in the process of mastering negotiations. I'm worried what I'll be giving up when it's time to get him to part with his blankie.
• The "potty bell" introduced by grandma: love the concept, but it only works at her house. works like a charm, though! Set the timer on the stove, When the bell goes off, time to visit the potty!
• Food Rewards: good, when he was hungry, otherwise out of obstinance he'd just refuse. OR, it would backfire, and he'd insist on going potty again and again and again so he could get more treats.
• The "I'm gonna get you" tactic: resistance going potty? No problem. I go first .. then he has to have his pee pee get my pee pee. This actually worked really well with my little warrior. He loved "knocking my pee pee down" with his pee pee. Got him nearly every time.
• Food Coloring (another brilliant grandma idea): variation on the "I'm gonna get you" tactic - squirt a bit of food coloring in the potty water and initiate target practice.

I'm sure I attempted other forms of blatant bribery and manipulation which I'm forgetting but it's all good! In the end, no one (especially mama) is emotionally scarred, and we have potty success!

In closure, my son, who is very happy with himself, announced that it's a boy's job to go pee pee and poo poo in the potty, and I agreed! When I asked him what a girl's job is, he announced "to wipe people's butts". And there you have it: The world from the eyes of a potty trained boy.

5 things to put on your to do list this weekend

Are you working on your weekend to do list?

Here are a few things to be sure you add to it:

1. Be active! Get your heart rate up and sweat!
2. Take time to be thankful for all that you have in your life.
3. Be kind to others.
4. Eat veggies with every meal and snack on fruit.
5. Spend at least 20 minutes building core strength.

Make it a marvelous weekend!

DID YOU KNOW? 4lbs in 2 months? Uugh!

The average American will gain four pounds between Halloween and New Year's Day. Doesn't sound like much? It's just about enough to push you up to the next clothing size!

YOU don't have be average! You can have that extra cookie, you just need to work for it! The bottom line for keeping weight off this holiday is remembering that you have to work off what you put in. Make it fun - something you look forward to - a place and time where you can be social as well as burn calories, have fun, special time with your child ... Think of fitness as the holiday gift you give yourself.

In order to keep us all motivated, StrollerFit is holding a special event Nov 23-Dec 31 called Fitness Takes No Holiday. We're giving away prizes for highest attendance (as if not seeing your waistline grow is not reward enough). Check it out at our site! We're sending weekly emails out with great motivating tips, too. If you haven't already received the first one, email us, and we'll put you on our list.

You and your family will be super-proud. A happy mama makes for a very happy family!

The Month of Motivation!

OK! Fall is coming up on us,and it's been way too long since my last post. My sincerest apologies, it won't happen again. As we move forward into this sweet smelling season, it encourages me tor reflect on the year so far ... happenings, events, milestones, and more. I've loved watching my family grow, and know that with each new step my son takes, I'm growing too!

After all, I never imagined myself doing the all-limbs-flailing potty dance in the kitchen for all my neighbors to see with more confidence than a Solid Gold Dancer (dating myself here) to encourage pee-pee in the potty. Now, that takes confidence!

This month we're all about motivation and goals as we move into the last quarter of 2009 and begin looking forward to 2010. What motivates us as moms? As women? What goals did we have for ourselves this year (formally or informally set ... lose weight, build strength, save just a few more dinero each month, explore some new cooking styles, paint the trim on the house, build resistance to brownies, whatever!)? Have we worked towards achieving them? Note - I did not ask "have we met them", this is not a time to beat ourselves up if "life" has taken over and we haven't quite reached the precipice to plant the flag of goal-reaching-success. My question is have we taken at least a few small steps in the right direction. If so, fabulous!

Now is a time to regroup and re-evaluate what we can do to find success personally (physically and mentally) and as moms, professionals, or in whatever other capacity our desire lies. Little things like "I WILL work out at least 4 days a week" or "I WILL try a new dinner once every two weeks" or "I WILL go on a date with my husband this month!" or "I WILL try Restore the Core (yes - blatant advertising) class this month" are great ways to start! Be realistic, and you'll find success. Find success and you'll feel fabulous and want to set more!

So, I now commission all of my readers to chime in! Set a goal, find some motivation, and share it with us! Tapping the sentence out on the keyboard may make it a bit more real ... and let's see how we do!

I'll start: I WILL organize my office this month AND incorporate5 new moves into our StrollerFit classes.

Now it's your turn - let's hear it! We can inspire and motivate each other.

Remember that strong, confident KIDS are raised by strong, confident MOMS!

Health and Happiness,

Katie

Bath Community Day!

A great time was had by all at the
Bath Community Day Parade and Celebration.

The wee ones, moms, and even the dads enjoyed marching in the parade, waving, passing out and collecting goodies (the dads got the hang of it when they figured out they shouldn't throw a bag of Kellogg's fruit treats at kids ... but instead hand them, it hurts less).

The event was much bigger than we imagined, so many people, and really cool demonstrations (I had no idea there were so many people in Bath familiar with the Martial Arts and capable of breaking boards with their fists, it gave me a whole new perspective). There were lots of families and smiles on every one's faces! Love it, love it, love it!

We've already welcomed Joy, a new student, as a result of the Community Day, along with her two youngest, Tess and Madison. Her two older boys are at summer camp, but we hope to meet them again at the picnic this Sunday!

Enjoy some of the pics from the parade, stay healthy, and keep a positive attitude!

Katie

Picnic, Parade & Pilates

Hi All! It's a rainy morning in Ohioland!

We had the annual Family Picnic on Sunday, what a blast. I officially discovered that it takes 20+ family members to wear my son out for the afternoon, but he sure did have fun! I've put some pics up of him swimming & going down a waterslide all by himself, and one of my Great Aunt Jerry eating a grilled jalapeno popper! Gotta love that spunk! Hopefully you have someone just like her in your family, too.

We're looking forward to the Bath Community Day Parade this Saturday (Aug 1 - can you believe it's almost August?)! Looking for something fun to do this Saturday? Come to the Community Day parade and festival! Looking for something even MORE fun to do? March in the parade with StrollerFit & StrollerFriends! Our kids love it ... I think Lohen has the parade wave down. It'll be so much fun! Post-parade the fire department will be putting on water shows, there will be a dunking booth, home made goodies, fresh roasted corn, free inflatable rides, and all kinds of traditional, summer, small town fun. Call me at 330.903.1317 with questions, if you'd like.

Oh, and I must say great job last night ladies! We had a fabulous Restore The Core mat workout, hope you are all feeling it this morning! Way to widdle the middle!

Have a happy and healthy day!

Katie

My 20-month old plays the harmonica better than I do!

OK - I've known all along my son had some mad skills just waiting to blossom ... but when I greeted him at Grannies yesterday evening, he was standing in his diaper playing the harmonica wiggling his bootie, expecting me to do the same!

While he plays better than I do, it would still be a stretch to refer to it as music, but as his mom, I just couldn't be prouder of the little guy for figuring this out (at least until he gets one at home and proceeds to make me crazy). So, for the mean time, I'll bask in the glory of his first and early dive into musical culture.

I'd love to hear of any party tricks your babies have (human or pets - after all, our babies are our babies!).

-Kate

LOVE YOUR NEW MOM BODY!

Check out these moves from our president, Mary Beth Knight! StrollerFit has partnered with BabyTalk and Parenting, the early years magazines, to bring some fitness inspiration to new moms!

10 Minute Mommy Workout

We're thrilled to be a part of such an awesome program. Anyone who is curious about even the idea of feeling great about your post-baby body, getting more energy, and instilling the importance of activity in your baby at an early age totally should visit a StrollerFit class.

It's free to explore, so you have nothing to lose except those pounds .. and there's lots to gain in friendship, confidence, and bonding with your baby.

StrollerFit Classes Now In Fairlawn, OH!

Finally! We're hitting the park with some outdoor classes in Fairlawn at Croghan Park!

On N. Miller Rd, Croghan park is the perfect place to participate in a StrollerFit class, especially when the sun is shining! The trails around the park are uber-stroller-friendly, the pavilion offers some shade, the rolling hills offer us moms a bit of a challenge, and the jungle gym offers lots of activity for the tots before and after class! JOIN US!

If it's raining, we'll still hold class, call our # for rain location at 330.903.1317. Remember to check out our full class schedule at www.strollerfit.com/akron

Classes are sooo much for for the moms and the kiddies, so check us out! Fitness for you, Interaction with your baby, a bit of sun, it can't be beat!!

MetroParks StrollerHike

Hi All!

We had a blast on our hike yesterday. The group was small, but the sun was shining, and it was a great day to take in the beauty on the Towpath/Erie Canal trail, and to enjoy some history. We walked right through a lock, past by the Mustill Store & encountered lots of fellow travellers on the trail.

These trails are so stroller friendly, and the kiddies enjoyed the ride, exploring nature with their eyes, ears, and noses, and interacting with each other along the way, too!

I really hope we have more families joining us on the June hikes! Friends and family members of all ages can join us! The next three hike dates are:

Saturday, June 13 10:30 a.m. Towpath Trail / Mustill Store Trailhead 248 Ferndale St. Akron

Monday, June 2211 a.m. Towpath Trail / Memorial Parkway Trailhead 499 Memorial Pkwy., Akron

Saturday, June27 10:30 a.m. Towpath Trail / Big Bend Trailhead1337 Merriman Rd., Akron

Hope to see you soon!!

Katie & Lohen