Move it and Lose it!

I am very excited about a couple of ideas that I have recently brainstormed with the help of Calista. So on this Wednesday evening, instead of studying like I should be, I am going to share!

Program #1: What Moves You?

This program is for Elementary aged kids. When I was in 4th grade, we participated in a reading competition. Whichever class room had the highest total of after school reading hours, won a party. Sounds simple enough... so why not gear this idea towards physical fitness! According to experts, Kids only need one hour of physical activity a day! This can definitely be accomplished, especially if the kids are in a competition. The program would last for about a month and by the end, the hope would be that the children would turn the competition into a lifestyle. I have pitched this idea to a local elementary school (I even made a fun activity tracking sheet!) and am anxiously waiting to hear back. I will keep you posted!

Program #2: Move it and Lose it!

This program is going to be geared towards teens and adults. My platform is actually for kids, but I got in a heated debate with myself... (yeah it's possible to debate with yourself) over the idea of joining a gym right now and when the debate did not end how I wanted it to, I decided that I needed to come up with a plan. As much as I would LOVE to join a gym, I knew that my CPA studying schedule would cause this to be an unwise economical decision...aka I wouldn't have time to go to the gym. Now, I am ready to attack my critics that believe that I am already a small person and that I do not need to go to the gym. Here's the thing, being small means just that... you are small. By no means does that suggest that you are necessarily healthy or fit. So this program can be for EVERYONE!

Here is the deal. All you have to do is one small challenge every week. I will announce these challenges both on my facebook and through my blog. Some will be geared towards physical fitness, others will be geared towards nutrition, and maybe I can even throw in a few mental fitness challenges! I am going to do every single one of them, so if you feel like you are doing them alone, I can promise you that you are not! So here it goes... Move it and Lose it Challenge #1...

I Challenge You to: Pass up that close parking spot at the store/work/etc. Leave it for someone that actually needs it. Pretend like your car is a gem and park that baby in the back row!

P.S. this challenge can be altered for my city folks who use public transportation. Skip your usual entrance to the subway and walk to the next one. We all know it's only a few extra blocks! (Do not do this, I repeat, DO NOT DO THIS if you are alone at night -- this is a day time activity only :) I am a stage 4 worrier)

This Week's Festivities

Friday was a very forgetful day for me.
Forgetful event #1: Setting my alarm so that I could wake up and study...darn.
Forgetful event #2: I forgot to mapquest where Batavia was (I thought it was 20 minutes away, but it was in fact 45 minutes away), resulting in me being twenty minutes behind schedule. YET, I still made it on time because I have OCD when it comes to being punctual, therefore, me being 20 minutes behind = me still being 5 minutes early.
Forgetful event #3: Due to my freaking out about being behind schedule, I left my crown and sash on the counter :(

So after I was done forgetting everything, I found myself at the 2010 Genesee County Fair Queen Pageant, put toghether by our very own Vicky Ripple! Vicky has been so wonderful to me this year and she always keeps me posted on eventthat I could help out at! This year's pageant was my emcee debut! It was a lot of fun and I may have recruited a few more Miss Finger Lakes Candidates!







I was feeling much better this Monday so it was time for another Get in the Game Monday! Unfortunately, we had another crummy weather morning, so we spent most of it inside playing 27 games of guess who. Once the weather cleared we headed outside for a game of four square. I let the kids pick the activity today and of course it had to be a game I had never played before. But, shockingly, I wasn't horrible at it!





In an earlier post, I discussed how the average child spends 7.5 hours a day in front of some form of screen (comp, tv, cell phone, etc.). I wanted to share a wonderful rule that has now been implemented at the youth center that I volunteer at. Each child must sign up for computer and video game time and is only allowed two, fifteen minute, time slots on each. Let's do the math - That is one hour of screen time!! While we cannot control what the kids do when they are at home, my friends and I at the youth center are taking a stand for change and a more active lifestyle!


The week ahead:
Next week will be another Get in the Game Monday. As of right now I am planning on taking this week as a hard core study week for my CPA examination, as my first test is quickly approaching!

Another Girl's Dream Come True

This Saturday I put my accounting skills to the test....well not really. I was the auditor for the Miss Monroe County Teen Pageant!! This pageant was so fun for me because not only was I able to witness the winner's reaction when she found out that she was given the opportunity to represent her region at Miss NY Outstanding Teen Pageant, but I also got to spend the day with my pageant loves. Joining me at the head table was, co-auditor, Vicky Ripple, and judges, Lorna Rose, Ali Sun, and Heather Knowles. We had so much fun discussing the upcoming pageant season and reminiscing about past pageant seasons. A huge thank you to Calista and Melanie for making this event possible for all of the young ladies!






















In last week's post, I stated that I would have another Get in the Game Monday this week. Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning, I was feeling a bit under the weather. But I didn't care, so I got up anyway and took a shower. When I got out of the shower I realized I did care... so I spent the rest of the day in bed with wet hair. I am very confident that even without the Get in the Game segment, the youth center kids still had a very involved and active day.



The week ahead:


On Friday I will be the emcee for the Miss Genesee County Fair Pageant! (This pageant is organized by Vicky Ripple!)

On Monday, we are Getting back in the game!

I am so...gullible

I must say I didn't get much CPA prep in this weekend, but this weekend's events were totally worth it. On Friday afternoon, Vicky Ripple and I met up at the Hyatt in Rochester with three other volunteers to begin judging the National American Miss Pageant (NAM). I have to admit that I am not someone that really follows any other pageantry organization other than the MAO, but NAM will now be on my radar. The pageants that I judged were the 4-5 yr olds, 6-7 yr olds, and 8-9 yr olds... and let me tell you, I was blown away. NAM searches for the girl that looks her age, is poised, confident, and well spoken. How would you know if a 4 year old is well spoken? We interviewed them....that's right, these girls start their interview training at FOUR!! I was expecting one word answers or some shy little ones to run out of the room crying, but it was the exact opposite. These young ladies pranced into the room in their little suits and spoke in complete sentences and with heart. The pageant was two days and that is a lot to ask of a little one! It was a phenomenal experience and I am so grateful to the NAM organization for allowing me to be a part of it. Congratulations to all of the contestants, you girls were great!

After the exhaustion of NAM, I slept half of Sunday away. But there was no fooling around on Monday, it was time to Get in the Game!! This was my second Get in the Game Monday, and the weather was so much more cooperative. In the morning we chilled inside and played Monopoly and pool, and then we headed outdoors for a game of kickball. I was silly and wore flip flops and kicked my shoe further than the ball.



I figured that since it was going to be such a warm day and that we didn't have access to a pool, that water balloons would be stellar! We started off with making really tiny water balloons which we had to carry on spoons in a relay race, and the switched to the balloon toss, and ended with an all out water balloon war. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun and it really got the kids excited and moving around (mission accomplished!), but there must be something really great about getting Amy soaked. Not only did I have the entire group of them chasing after me with their water balloons, but they also found it necessary to play a practical joke. As you know, balloon remains are not good for the environment, so I suggested that we all clean them up after the fight was over. Two of the boys walked over to me and said they had a bucket to put the balloons in. Now, if you were smart, you would look in the bucket to see if it was empty... I was not smart. I bent down to pick up a balloon at the perfect time for them to dump a bucket of ice cold water over my head... I was no longer soaked, but drenched. I will get them back next Monday.








The week ahead:


On Saturday I will be auditing the Monroe Country Fair Pageant where a contestant will be chosen to compete for Miss NY Outstanding Teen 2011 (Let me know if you know someone that would like to compete) and on Monday there is another Get in the Game Monday!


Until then... :)

I'm sorry could you repeat that order please?

After work today, I traded my calculator for a cash register...same concept I thought... I can handle this. Wrong! I am the worst cashier in the history of cashiers and I discovered I am even worse at pouring beer from a tap. For example...

Customer: " I would like a red hot and a bottle of water"

Amy: "Coming right up!!"

Customer: "Isn't that a white hot... and I asked for water...not soda"

But hey... A+ for trying is the motto at Home Plate! (Okay I just made that motto up, but I needed a self-esteem booster).

So what is Home Plate you ask (just amuse me)? Home Plate is the concession stand at the Rochester Red Wings Minor League Baseball Field. The company has a great system in place that allows volunteers to run the stand. When I first heard about this, I thought, why would I want to volunteer at a baseball game...who is that helping besides a concession stand to make more profit from not paying employees? Well it helps kids Get in the Game!!! Home Plate donates 5% of the evenings profit to a not for profit organization. Tonight, I was serving hot dogs and pouring beer (cough.. foam.. cough) to raise money for Two Doors. Two Doors is a community resource center for kids in Rochester, NY. A few of the many programs at Two Doors are a Healthy Highway, which teaches kids about wellness and nutrition, Cultural Arts, which allows for hands on creative thinking and learning, and Family Outreach, which gets the entire family involved for a night of healthy eating and festive activities.

With my friend Melissa....mmm look at those fries!

This was such a fun event and as much as I would have liked to be serving hot dogs in my crown and sash to represent the Miss America Organization.. it just did not seem to fit the health code regulations :)


Later this week I will be judging the National American Miss Pageant... stay tuned!