In my DVD Activate & Be Great The CAMPUS Kids and get ready for one of our fit-family-fun performances by practicing our songs and dances. In the Summertime we perform those shows live 4-5 times a week. In the Winter it’s only a couple of times a month. It can be hard to stay active when the weather makes you want to burrow underneath the covers to stay warm. At my house we have turned our family game night into a family video game night that involves physical competitions using the Wii. In the event of a power outage we break out our mini trampolines and have jumping contests in the living room. Anything to get our blood pumping. That’s the trick, whatever you do make sure you raise your heart rate and break a little sweat. That along with healthy meals throughout the day, will ensure a peaceful nights sleep. Like I always say, “Active Play, Healthy Food, and Peaceful Sleep” added together equal AWESOME Fun!

SMILE On!

Miss Lori

“The weather outside is frightful which makes it hard to get regular exercise. What do you do in the winter months to keep yourself active, healthy and fit?”

Abi age 10~
During the winter I take dance classes and play Wii fit a lot. I drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy snacks like apples, strawberries, grapes and carrots. I also like doing sit-ups and push-ups with my mom and brother. We have competitions and it is fun.

Sinead age 17~

In Winter, show choir season really starts up at my high school. With rigorous dances, I get so much exercise rehearsing every week! I never dance harder throughout the year than I do in Winter, because competition season begins in January, and the months leading up to competitions are spent solely on dancing our butts off to prepare for competing! I also teach gymnastics throughout the winter. I think it’s really important to stay active, even throughout the winter, and teaching gymnastics helps me to get the exercise I need on an almost daily basis while I’m at work. Plus, it’s fun! I really love being active and running around, so I make sure to stay fit throughout Winter!

Tess age 9~
To keep my self healthy and fit I do indoor speed skating, (and of course gym at school).

McKenna age 11~
Well I dance all Winter long… It’s my winter sport. My dance team rehearses more in the winter than in the summer…. but during Winter Break… I love playing in the snow!!!!! We have a BIG hill right behind our house. No more than 5 minutes… (well not when we’re in snow gear). I love going to the hill with my friends. Last year they were doing construction and my older brother Jason and I went to the hill to find a GINORMOUS hill of dirt. It was SO steep and SO much fun to go on. I also like going to my friends houses and making snowmen and drinking hot chocolate. That takes a lot of energy!!!! (no joke!!!!). If we’re not found at my friends houses, we like going to the YMCA. Most the time we go swimming. They have a diving board and if we get lucky the diving board will be open and all we have to do is take a couple minute swimming test and we’re in!!!! This year we’re old enough to go in the exercise room, so we might go there this year, I’m not sure though. Thats how we get exercise in the cold winter months though!!!!!!!

Elita age 9~
My family and I are concerned on how to stay fit, but we found an answer! We will do exercise tapes and jog on our mini tramp! I think those are two great solutions!

Kyra age 11~
Sometimes we choose to take public transportation instead of driving places. Since the train station is 6 blocks away from our house, I get exercise that way. At Christmas and other seasonal holidays with lots of sweets, I try not to eat to much!

Jaedyn age 6~
I do the Wii Fit Plus! My favorite games are Hula Hoop, Ski Jump and Obstacle Course. I like them because they are really fun and really active. The Hula Hoop is really active because you are moving around like you have a hula hoop on your waist.

Ava age 11~
During the winter season I like to swim and when the weather is nice I ride my bike or walk. If there is snow on the ground I might have a HUGE snowball fight with my neighbors. I also live near a forest and my family and I take long walks with my dog.

Ariana age 9~
I love being active. My favorite activity to do when it is cold outside is swimming! Yes, I said swimming but of course, it would indoors! Swimming is my favorite activity because it works out all of the muscles in your body. My mom, sister and I play games in the pool. Sometimes we pretend to be mermaids and other times we will play water volleyball. For some reason, even other sports seem more fun when you play them in the water!

Anaiya age 7~
I love doing gymnastics! I just started taking gymnastics classes and I love doing it and the best part is, you can do gymnastics even when it’s cold outside! I am learning to do flips and handstands the right way so that I don’t hurt myself and I get to learn with my friends which makes it even more fun!

Miss Lori

“With the economy as it is, unemployment at an all time high, violence in schools and H1N1 on the minds of everyone who sits next to someone who is coughing or sneezing, stress levels are high for parents. But it’s also high for kids too. What is stressing you out these days, and what do you do to deal with it?”

Abi age 10~
I stress about schoolwork a lot. I deal with it by asking my parents for help and practicing things that I have trouble with.

Sinead age 17~
As a high school senior applying for colleges, I am most stressed out about preparing for the future! It becomes very surreal when you start seeing deadlines for college applications. I never thought the day would come, but here I am applying for college, deciding what I’ll be majoring in, and getting ready to leave my family and venture out into the “real world,” all on my own!! I began questioning whether I am ready or not to make my own dinners, or make sure I’m up on time for classes every morning, or do my own laundry! I know most 17 year olds won’t agree with me, but if it were my choice, I’d take my mommy and daddy along with me to college in a heartbeat! It doesn’t help that all my friends talk non-stop about college; where they’ve applied so far, and where they’ve gotten in or been rejected! Every high school senior across the nation that is preparing for college feels the same way right about now! As an aspiring performer, I will also have to complete auditions for programs at different schools, which will ultimately decide whether or not I am accepted, and whether I am granted scholarships. Which is also very important. (Hey! College is expensive!) The future holds a lot for me right now, and I’m just trying to prepare myself… if it’s possible!

Tess age 9~
Sometime I get stressed—like when our school was giving out vaccines. I was trying to decide if it was good because I am scared about needles. The economy stresses me out because my family doesn’t have money for things, and I worry about that because sometimes I want things, but those aren’t needs.

McKenna age 11~
Well, I feel scared sometimes when I know my parents are spending a lot of money on me with dance. I get scared that they’re spending a little too much sometimes. I also am scared that with the flu going around that I’m going to get sick. I’m starting the new school year out great; good grades, making a great impression on all my new teachers. I don’t want to get sick and get loaded with makeup homework. I’m not as scared about getting H1N1 though. It seems kind-of weird, I know, but I’m just not as worried about it as anything else. I’ve heard H1N1 isn’t the nastiest flu around, so I’m not as scared about it. Also one of my dance instructors and her son just had H1N1 and they’re fine. So, I’m not that scared at all. One thing that’s been on my mind is cancer. You see one of my favorite, youngest teachers I ever had just died of breast cancer. She was diagnosed with it just as soon as school got out, so I had no idea that she had cancer until a couple days before she died. I saw her a couple weeks before she died, after her Chemotherapy I later found out, and she looked and acted fine. Apparently she was feeling fine until a couple days before she died. She went to the hospital Halloween weekend and then, November 1st, she died. She was so healthy when school got out and then that happened. So I ‘m afraid of getting cancer, (even though it’s very rare), or getting really sick.

Elita age 9~
I, as a girl, am going through troubles with friends, siblings and growing up in every way; maturity, achievements, and other places

Kyra age 11~
Plenty of things are stressing me out, and some of them are the same things that concern my parents, such as H1N1 and business. But a lot of them are more related to girls my age, especially things like being embarrassed. I deal with troubling issues in plenty of different ways, by praying about it, asking my parents and youth group leaders about it, and reading books about it.

Jaedyn age 6~
Not feeling well, and my brother and sister fighting stresses me out. So I cuddle with my Mommy.

Ava age 11~
Everything that I’m doing, including homework stresses me out. To help me calm down I just take it one day at a time.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s a day where the whole Country gathers with friends and family to nourish their hearts, and their bodies, (sometimes a little too much of the body). Thanksgiving offers us many opportunities to connect through traditions old and new. This week I asked The CAMPUS Kids how they feel about the upcoming holiday. They offered wonderful examples of just how enriching the day can be.

SMILE On!

Miss Lori

“With Thanksgiving fast approaching what are you really looking forward to with the holiday? Does your family have any special traditions? Is there a new tradition you would like to initiate yourself?”

Anaiya age 7~
I’m looking forward to all of the good food I get to eat! Thanksgiving is like having my own special buffet and I get to pick everything that goes on my plate. My Grandma always makes really good pie for Thanksgiving too, and we get to eat the food that we have left over for a week after Thanksgiving too. I also want to play with my cousins. I miss them sometimes because I don’t get to see them a lot but when the holidays come around, I always get to play with them more.

Abi age 10~
I am looking forward to seeing my relatives. We always have Thanksgiving at my house. There is a lot of food and we watch football and play cards. I like Thanksgiving because I get to see everyone I love.

Sinead age 17~

I am from South Africa, where Thanksgiving is not celebrated. When we moved to America and started celebrating Thanksgiving, it quickly became one of my favorite holidays! Every year, my family meets with a bunch of my parents’ South African friends and their families. We have all become so close over the years, and we have become each others’ families, since we all left our families when we moved to America. We eat lots of food, sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows being my personal favorite, and just sit around and enjoy the company. Thanksgiving has been this way for years, and it’s definitely a tradition in my family! I love the Winter holiday season, because it has Thanksgiving and Christmas, my two favorite holidays, and they both really center a lot on family, and togetherness. That is something I’d like to carry on for the rest of my life. No matter what happens year round, when it comes time for the Winter holiday season, I want to spend as much time as possible with my family, and remember that the holidays are all about loving those who make your life better everyday!

Tess age 9~
For Thanksgiving our family always goes to Michigan and has turkey, stuffing, (gluten free and normal because of my brother), cranberries, pumpkin pie, and stuff I can’t even remember! We also stay up late and watch bad, old horror movies!!!!

McKenna age 11~
I love seeing my family!!!!! Some of my family I haven’t seen since the 4th of July! I’m so excited to see them!!!!!! Of course, I’m also excited about Thanksgiving Dinner!!!!! Turkey, Stuffing, Rolls, etc. I love Thanksgiving dinner! This year my Dance team is going to be performing to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in the Thanksgiving Day Parade downtown. I’m so excited for that!!!!!! This will be the first time I perform in a parade and I’m so Excited!!!!!! ANYWAY… This year we FINALLY have the WHOLE family from my side of the family coming to dinner and I’m so excited about that!!!!!!! I love my family and I can’t wait to see them all!!!!!!!!!!! My family really doesn’t have any traditions on Thanksgiving, besides watching football. Except that Thanksgiving is always at my cousin Kristen’s house. I really like Thanksgiving and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Elita age 9~
Last year my family and I started a tradition at my house; we made a list of all the things we are grateful for. I am looking forward to spending time with my family. I love Thanksgiving,

Kyra age 11~
Every Thanksgiving, my family and anyone visiting us all receive three pieces of corn dry, colored corn. Then a bowl is passed around the table, and we say something that we are thankful for for each kernel as we place them in the basket. It’s a great way to remember our blessings. This year, my family and I are going to the McDonald’s Thanksgiving day parade for the first time, and since it is the first time I’ve ever lived in a big city, it’s the first time I’ve ever been to a big Thanksgiving parade. I would like to start doing that every year.

Ava age 11~
I am really looking forward to seeing my grandmother who just got done with her chemo. She will be attending this feast and I know that my whole family is very thankful that she is going to be here. In the morning my brothers and my dad play a huge football game with lots of people in the neighborhood. While that’s happening my mom, my uncle,and I are getting ready for the big feast such as cooking, cleaning etc. But the boys don’t get it easy, once they come back they either help set the table or they clean up afterwards. We have a pretty traditional meal but one thing some people might not do is that we grill the turkey. Though I love our turkey, next year I would like to try a deep fried turkey.

Ariana age 9~
I am really looking forward to spending time with my family. All of my cousins that I don’t get to see a lot, my uncle and my new little cousin, Jayden. This will be Jayden’s first Thanksgiving so I would like to start a new tradition. I would like to start a story telling tradition. We can all sit around the dinner table and talk about every Thanksgiving that we have had and talk about all the many more Thanksgiving’s we will have together.

Jaedyn age 6~
I love getting together with my whole family and showing them all of the great projects I have made for Thanksgiving in school. I am really looking forward to making raisin rice with my Gammy. It has rice and raisins in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H47f9lfQt-A

SMILE On!

ML

“The movie The Blind Side is opening up this month. It is a true story about honor and courage. What do those two words mean to you and how are they evident in your life?”

Ava age 11~
It’s important to be courageous so that you are not afraid and you’re not in that shadow, so you can break free. I’m courageous by trying new things and going with the flow and believing in myself whether it works out or not. Honor to me is about respecting those who teach you in all ways of life. I honor those people by being nice and listening to what they have to say.

Sinead age 17~
The words courage and honor are really strong words, in my opinion. I actually saw the preview for The Blind Side last night at the movie theatre, and I was personally moved from just the trailer. Sandra Bullock’s character takes a young teen living in poverty into her home, and treats him as her son, regardless of the fact that they are different races, and they come from very different backgrounds. Her actions are very courageous, and as a result, she can be seen as very honorable. Courage is the quality that makes someone willing to face a difficult situation with their heads held high, and with lots of bravery. For someone to be considered honorable, they have to be, in my opinion, held with high regard, considered highly credible, and be very respected. This is why Sandra Bullock’s character illustrates both courage and honor throughout the movie, because she, without fear, places herself in a very difficult situation, and undoubtedly ends up defeating that very controversial, challenging issue with pride. Courage and honor may be very hard to obtain for people on a daily basis, but I believe when someone does prove to be courageous or honorable, it is a very big deal. With Veteran’s Day this week, courage and honor are very important words to keep in the back of our minds, and remember the courageous men and women who fought through many wars to give the children of this generation the opportunities that we possibly have done nothing to earn. To me, that is very honorable.

Tess age 9~
I see a lot of courage at school kids standing up for one another. I think courage means being and feeling strong on the inside and helping one another and not begging someone else to do it for you. Honor means feeling good inside of you. And feeling good for something. There are kids that are honored for things but that’s the different from having honor.

McKenna age 11~
These words mean a lot to me. I dance with my competitive dance team and It’s just an honor to be able to dance there and to be able to keep on getting better it just feels so good. The word courage take me back a couple years ago when my dad was in the hospital after he got in an accident. He had to go into surgery as soon as he got there and I was so scared. I had no idea what was going on and I had to stay with my Aunt. I was so happy to see my dad, give him a hug, and figure out what happened. So I really needed some courage the time I was at my Aunts house, but now I know where to find my courage. But anyway honor means to be able to know your appreciated wherever you’ve done good. Courage means to be able to keep yourself from getting too scared and going insane.

Elita age 9~
This movie looks incredible. The words honor and courage mean to me, accomplishments, and to be brave and tells others advice.

Rachel age 11~
Courage is doing what is right, even when everyone else is doing the wrong thing. Honor is your strong character in doing what is right. If you or I were being honorable, we would be doing what is right according to our own personal moral principles. I know some very honorable and courageous people, and I one day hope to be considered one of them.

Abi age 10~
When I think of someone who lives with honor and courage I think of the Yingst family. They live in my neighborhood and are some of our best friends. Mr. Yingst is in the Army and has had to Iraq twice since I have been in Elementary school. He is giving up time with his family to serve our country. Mrs. Yingst is always happy and kind even though she is alone taking care of 2 boys. I can’t imagine living without my Dad for years. This family has the most honor and courage of anyone I know.

Jaedyn age 6~
Honor and courage. I think courage means for me to keep trying. Honor means to me that you are special.