Our July Mom of the Month

Christina Kochuba and Family

Our Mom of the Month program offers us the opportunity to honor one of our dedicated Stroller Strides moms for her efforts to live a healthy lifestyle while getting to know her better at the same time. Our July Mom of the Month is Christina Kochuba (aka Eva's mom)!

Christina works diligently towards her fitness goals by attending classes at least twice a week and always with a smile. She has also been known to run between stations during class to increase the intensity of her workout and we love seeing her go after her goals with such energy and dedication!

We asked Christina a few questions to get to know her better and this is what she said:

 

Hometown: I am from Hickory, NC.
Education: I went to the University of Dayton for undergrad and I went to Appalachian State University for my Masters in Family and Consumer Science. I am now a Registered Dietitian.

Stroller Strides Member since: October 2011

Members of your Family: My husband- James and daughter -Eva who is 15 months old.

Current/previous Career: My last job was as a Dietitian for the UNC Eating Disorders Program.

What was your childhood ambition? I wanted to be marine biologist, astronaut or librarian.
What does motherhood mean to you? Love - I love being a mom to Eva. No matter how exhausted I may get, my heart melts just seeing her smile.

What is the furthest you have been from home? I used to live outside Frankfurt, Germany.

What has Stroller Strides done for you? Physically, I have become stronger and toned since having a baby. I have met great women and kids who are both fun and supportive.
What is your favorite exercise? Any exercises with abdominals. Those exercises really work!
What is your proudest moment? When the doctor placed Eva in my arms after labor. I was both shocked and proud that I actually gave birth to such a perfect little angel.
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? Reading, traveling and cooking.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. I won a hula hoop contest a couple years ago at Croaker Festival in Oriental, NC.
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? Loyalty, thoughtfulness and caring.

Thank you to Omega Sports for further honoring our Moms of the Month with $10 gift cards to the store!

Our June Mom of the Month

Lindsay & Family- Photo courtesy of Mason Dee Photography

Our Mom of the Month program offers us the opportunity to honor one of our dedicated Stroller Strides moms for her efforts to live a healthy lifestyle while getting to know her better at the same time. Our June Mom of the Month is Lindsay Blackburn (aka Graham's mom)!

Lindsay is a faithful class attendee (despite rehabbing a shoulder injury) and a sweet friend to all she encounters. She has also agreed to serve as a 3rd Playgroup Captain (serving alongside co-Captains Amy & Krista). Welcome aboard, Lindsay! We all look forward to the fun things you've got in store for the playgroup this summer and fall!

We asked Lindsay a few questions to get to know her better and this is what she said...
Hometown - One of the few people from Raleigh, NC! Never thought I would live in Raleigh after college, but my internship was here which led to my first job. After traveling with work a lot I grew to love and appreciate Raleigh and can't imagine living anywhere else.
Education - BSBA Accounting from Appalachian State University
Stroller Strides Member since - September 2011
Members of your Family - Husband of almost 7 years - Casey, Graham (2 years old), JD the cat, Tuscan and Moose the rabbits!
Current/previous Career - CPA, first in public accounting and later in industry. Neither was much fun!
What was your childhood ambition? President of the United States or CEO of a major corporation. Seriously.
What does motherhood mean to you? Motherhood is something I had always wanted and had to wait a while for, but it has been worth the wait. It is more rewarding and challenging than I could have ever imagined. I have a whole new respect for my parents since Graham is just like me as a child! Thank goodness they never left me somewhere because I now know just how tempting that may seem some days! Even on the worst day I can't imagine doing anything else. What is the furthest you have been from home? Hawaii and Europe, I think about equally far from here in opposite directions.
What has Stroller Strides done for you? I am wearing shorts again!! I can also run more than I ever thought I could and actually enjoy it. Stroller Strides is really the only way I can fit exercise into my day now and I love coming to class. It has done so much for Graham too. He was such a shy and clingy little guy before we started and it is a joy to see him make friends and come out of his shell a bit. I love having so many new friends to chat with each day. I was getting pretty lonely at home all day and didn't have many mom friends before joining Stroller Strides.
What is your favorite exercise? Anything for my arms, sometimes legs and never abs.
What is your proudest moment? It used to be passing the CPA exam on the first try, but now it is giving birth with no drugs!
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? Photography, crafts/building things, anything made with lots of sugar.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. I have two pet rabbits that have their own bedroom in my house! I am also a House Rabbit Society educator, am the head rabbit volunteer and educator at the SPCA and organize the house rabbit meetup group! Before Graham, I used to foster rabbits as well and would have up to 8 rabbits in my house at one time! And no it didn't smell. I fostered a mom and her 6 babies which was a lot of work, but an amazing experience. Casey calls me the crazy rabbit lady.
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? When I asked him he sat for a long time thinking and came up with selflessness (giving), ingenuity (crafty), maternal instinct (good mom) and independent. I am pretty sure he was just trying to think of a big words. I added my interpretations in parenthesis after asking him to explain!
 

Our May Mom of the Month

Our Mom of the Month program honors one of our Stroller Strides moms for her efforts to live a healthy lifestyle while letting us get to know her better at the same time. Our May Mom of the Month is Krista Welty (aka Caiden's mom). 

The Welty Family

Krista is a faithful attender at our Shelley Lake class location, serves as one of our hard-working (volunteer!) Playgroup Captains and is a great role model for healthy living for Caiden! A former science teacher, Krista even provides the occasional impromptu science lesson during class and we all learn a little something new about the beautiful world around us. Thanks for all you do to help make our classes and playgroups so special, Krista!

We asked Krista a few questions to get to know her better and this is what she said:

Hometown : Long Beach, CA
Education: BS in Biology
Stroller Strides Member since: July 2010
Members of your Family: Chris, Caiden and me
Current/previous Career: High School Biology Teacher
What was your childhood ambition? I wanted to be a veterinarian.
What does motherhood mean to you? Not sweating the small stuff, enjoying your kids, making sacrifices.
What is the furthest you have been from home? Mykonos, Greek Isles 
What has Stroller Strides done for you? Made exercise fun!
What is your favorite exercise? Abs.
What is your proudest moment? Graduating from college.
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? Books, ice cream, afternoon naps
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. I can swim 50 feet underwater on a single breath... Well, I used to but haven't tried it in a long time. 
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? Smart & caring.

Our April Mom of the Month

Every month we take a moment to honor one of our Stroller Strides moms for their efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle while also getting to know her better at the same time! This month our Mom of the Month is Ann Clark (aka Kade's mom)!

The Clark Family

Ann is a sweet, funny mom of an active 2 1/2 year old little boy and she is just a blast to hang out with! She always has an amusing motherhood anecdote and a smile to share with everyone close-by. Ann is a regular attender at Stroller Strides classes and Plum Moms Club playgroup activities and when I polled our Instructor team for nominations for this month's Mom of the Month- they all unanimously nominated Ann! We're all impressed by your efforts to get and stay fit, Ann, and we love having you around!

We asked Ann a few questions about herself and this is what she told us:

Hometown: So unfamiliar to all of you- Bulacan, Philippines
Education: BS in Nursing- Class of 1999
Stroller Strides Member since: June 2012
Members of your family: My loving hubby Kurt, our lil' man Kade, and my awesome stepson Zane
Current Career: Housewife and I'm loving it!
What was your childhood ambition? I really wanted to be a flight stewardess (flight attendant). That's what I tell anyone who asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up because on TV they always looked pretty with make-up and those fancy looking clothes (yayy!) and went to different places all over the world! Exciting!
What does motherhood mean to you? It is the bet thing that ever happened in my life (well, besides getting married to my wonderful husband).
What is the furthest you have been from home? Being here in the US for only 2 years. I still consider the Philippines my home so I'd say its the United States.
What has Stroller Strides done for you? Amazing things, are you kidding me?! You guys are awesome. Besides getting my body in shape and my son getting to socialize, it is a big help that I get to talk to all of the wonderful moms on just about everything about motherhood, raising a toddler, places to go, etc.
What is your favorite exercise? Anything dealing with my belly!
What is your proudest moment? I think it was when Kade was born. I had him at 30 when I thought I would never be able to have a baby. I am so proud each day that goes by and he is safe with me, so proud when he first learned how to count. All of his milestones are precious and the proudest moments of my life.
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family)? Stroller Strides!!!, apple strudel (from Costco), and I loooove clothes and shoes!!!
Tell us something about yourself that would suprise us or that makes you unique. Ah, maybe that I'm a worry freak!!!
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? That I have a big heart and care about people and that I'm the best wife =)

Omega Sports has generously donated $10 gift cards to further honor our Moms of the Month- visit them at North Hills, Crossroads or in Durham!

Our March Mom of the Month

Our Mom of the Month program offers us the opportunity to honor one of our dedicated Stroller Strides moms for her efforts to live a healthy lifestyle while getting to know her better at the same time. Without further ado, our March Mom of the Month is Annie McGinn (aka Patrick's mom)!

Annie & family

Annie is a dedicated Stroller Strides mom- often attending class 4-5 times per week. She is always full of smiles for Patrick and the moms and kids around her and consistently strives to challenge herself during our workouts. Thank you, Annie, for setting such a wonderful example for our group and for being such a sweet friend.

We asked Annie a few questions and this is what she said:

Hometown: Cumming, Georgia
Education: BS in Business Management from Appalachian State University
Stroller Strides Member since: August 2011
Members of your Family: Ryan (hubs), Patrick (babe), Lucky (pup)
Current/previous Career: I was in sales for a staffing company & then I owned a stationery company.
What was your childhood ambition? To be a cake decorator at the grocery store. Seriously.
What does motherhood mean to you? Motherhood has made me feel like I've found my place in the world. Nothing I've ever done in the past has fulfilled me more than being a Mom.
What is the furthest you have been from home? Antarctica...just kidding. San Francisco.
What has Stroller Strides done for you? Stroller Strides has given me everything I need in a convenient, one hour time slot. I get my exercise, my socializing, & my mental clarity, plus I love getting to watch Patrick interact with his SS friends. I was just thinking about what I would do at home in the mornings without SS and it seriously made me scared. I only have enough creativity for 3 hours a day, and that has to last me from the end of nap time to dinner. I also love that I'm setting a good example for Patrick to lead a healthy lifestyle.
What is your favorite exercise? Even though I always get sore, I really love standing on the band & stepping side to side. It's instant gratification/pain.
What is your proudest moment? Besides becoming a Mom, running the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle 8K six months after having back surgery in less than 50 minutes.
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? In no particular order: driving on a crisp fall day with all of the windows down and the heat on, listening to my parents tell stories about when they were little, and macaroni & cheese
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. I'm pregnant! :-) I've never had a Big Mac or a sip of coffee.
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? Ryan said my sense of humor, but he was really tired when I asked him because he forgot to say that I'm the most amazing wife and mother in the universe and that he'd be lost without me.

Congratulations Annie & family on your big news and thanks for being you!
~Missy

Febuary Instructor Spotlights: Meet Christianna, Megan & Cindi!

Since November of 2011 we have welcomed 3 new Instructors to our Stroller Strides of Midtown Raleigh team and we're excited to formally introduce them to you!

Christianna Campbell

Christianna grew up in Raleigh and participated in sports her entire life- playing soccer and tennis and being a member of swimming and diving teams. She went to UNC-CH where she was an athletic trainer then earned Masters in Physical Therapy at ECU. She worked as an athletic trainer for pro soccer team in Hawaii (neat fact-one of her players won the tv show Survivor (Ethan Zohn)).

She and her husband, John, lived in Florida for the past 10 years before moving back to Raleigh last year. They have a 2 year old daughter named "Caroline" and a baby boy due this month!

Christianna and John enjoy doing triathlons and she has a 1/2 and full Ironman (2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike and 26.2 mile run) under her belt already. She loves anything outdoors: hiking, biking running, camping... and is a great addition to our team!

Megan Dosmann

Megan grew up in Southern California and moved to Chicago with her family during her Junior year of high school. In 2001, she graduated from the University of Illinois and has worked as an Occupational Therapist ever since.

She and her husband, Greg, were married in 2007 and welcomed their daughter, Avery Camryn, into their lives in September of 2009. Megan and Avery began attending Stroller Strides Chicago when Avery was just 7 weeks old where they made lots of good friends and enjoyed exercising together!

Megan, Greg, and Avery moved to Raleigh in January 2011. Before they even moved to Raleigh, Megan was beyond excited to learn that there was a Stroller Strides here too...they joined as soon as their BOB stroller arrived on the moving truck and have been consistent members since.

On February 2, 2012 (Groundhog's Day) they welcomed their second daughter, Brooke Danielle, to their family. Megan says, "I can't wait to spend time with my daughters while teaching them that exercise can be fun! Stroller Strides has been life changing for me and I look forward to giving back!"

Cindi Michaelson

Cindi was born and raised in a small town south of Rochester, NY. Prior to moving to Raleigh, she attended LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY with a major in Psychology and a concentration in Biology.

After college, she moved to Raleigh where her sister was living and only stayed for about 5 months because the world was calling!! She set out on a travel adventure that lasted 3 months. Her travels brought her to places such as England, Thailand, Bali, Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands. She actually flew around the world!

Once back in the States, she worked for a short time in Syracuse and then decided to move back to Raleigh. In 2006, while celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the Hibernian Pub, she met her husband, Mark. They were engaged on their 4 month anniversary and married by their 8 month anniversary!

On May 31, 2010 they welcomed Livvy Claire Michaelson into their lives! Cindi and her family currently live near Five Points in a small house that they completely renovated (doing the majority of the work themselves). As a family they enjoy traveling, time with friends and family, trying new restaurants, going to the NC Farmers Market and exercising. Cindi and Mark are currently training for our first half marathon!

Though Cindi has experience working in the non-profit sector and corporate America- her passion has always been fitness and health with a focus on pre and post natal women. Along with her new certification as a Stroller Strides Instructor she is also working toward being a certified Childbirth Educator. She says "I am so excited to be part of the Stroller Strides team and it is a pleasure getting to know all of you!"

December's Mom of the Month

Our Mom of the Month program allows us to honor one of our Stroller Strides moms for her efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle while getting to know her better at the same time. December's Mom of the Month is Amy Ruetz (aka Marley's mom)!

Amy moved to Raleigh from Baltimore earlier this year and quickly became a beloved member of our mom-community! She faithfully attends 4-5 classes/week and is currently serving as one of our 3 wonderful Playgroup Captains.

Amy spent the fall training for the City of Oaks 1/2 marathon and frequently doubled on up on her daily workout by running a few miles before Stroller Strides class. Fortunately, Marley was a willing training buddy and conveniently took her naps during the run. Amy even inspired a few of our other Stroller Strides moms to join her on her pre-class runs.

We asked Amy a few questions to get to know her a little better and this is what she said...

Hometown: I consider Chicago my home, although I grew up all over PA, NJ, and the midwest.

Education: I went to the University of Colorado for my BA in Communications. I then went on to get my Master's in Elementary Education in Chicago.

Stroller Strides Member since: May 2011

Members of your Family: I have been married to my husband, Mike, for 4 years. We have our amazing daughter, Marley (11 months), dog Tank, and cat Mugatu.

Current/previous Career: I was an elementary teacher (3rd/4th grade).

What was your childhood ambition? I knew I would love to teach, and be a mom. Lucky me, I have everything I always wanted :-)

What does motherhood mean to you? It is the most amazing accomplishment I have ever achieved! It's so cliched but I am so fulfilled with the love of this little person. Every day is a new adventure and I am so excited for this journey for the rest of my life!

What is the furthest you have been from home? I LOVE to travel! I am so lucky to have been to Thailand, explored Eastern Europe, and traveled around Argentina. I would love to share more traveling with my kids in the future.

What has Stroller Strides done for you? What hasn't it done for me? After having a baby, "retiring" from teaching, and moving to NC, Stroller Strides has helped me through all of these transitions! I am so lucky to have formed many friendships, both for me and my baby! I have mentors that I feel comfortable asking parenting questions to and a social calendar filled with fun outings and playdates. I am so happy to be a Playgroup Captain and feel even more connected to this amazing group of moms! Getting a great, daily workout make me feel stonger and healthier than I have ever been!

What is your favorite exercise? If watching reality television does not constitute as exercise, then wall sits and bicep curls would be my favorite. I love the feeling of accomplishment after a good run too!

What is your proudest moment? Prior to being a mom (that would take the cake), having my old students seek me out to tell me they loved coming to school when I was their teacher.

What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)?

Traveling, being outdoors, laughing

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique.

I have never lived anywhere for more than 4 years. I have been a vegetarian for half my life (does that make me old?)

If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say?

I would like to think that my hubby thinks I am fun to be around and am caring and giving.