Happy New Year!

It's the Tuesday December 27th -- the lull between Christmas and New Year's.  Classes are a bit small so far this week so I have a few minutes to reflect.

Marie and I took the past week off, so we could spend some time with our kids in the mornings and get some home projects/to-do's done in the afternoons.  We had a small list of things that we really wanted to get done -- like fnally plan our "big" vacation we've been talking about, make some 2012 resolutions, clean our home office and garage, and get some old electronics and old clothes "recycled."  

I think 4 of the afternoons were spent working on that vacation... (Hint... if you wait too long, flight costs go through the roof!)   We finally got the flights set, and now we need to work on hotels...  We didn't really get to any of the other topics, unfortunately.  But last night, with the grandparents watching the kids, I was able to atack the office and garage enough to clear a wider passage through each.  I got just enough done to feel good.

For our mornings this past week, we tried to pack in a lot... We visited Pittock Mansion, ate a late brunch at Slappy Cakes (where you cook your own pancakes at your table!), visited the lights at the Portland International Raceway, delivered cookies to friends, and saw (the only?) G-rated movie out - the new Chipmonks movie.    (My favorite line -- "A double rainbow across the sky!!  What does it mean?!    Search YouTube for "double rainbow" to understand it better.)

We celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah as a family.  I mistakenly put the "big" Hanukkah present under the Christmas tree.  Oops.  My biggest laugh was when my son opened his stocking Sunday morning and was excited to find "piz."  (After a chuckle, we let him know that it's called "Pez.")   Happy Holidays!

It's cold outside - which makes it a perfect time to be inside at The Little Gym!

Teeth are chattering, jackets are zipping, and hot cocoas are pouring.

It‟s definitely getting colder out there, But here at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego, kids are staying toasty warm. Their bodies are in motion and their minds are too. Kids in The Little Gym Parent/Child classes are
exploring their worlds, gaining independence and trying new skills. The structured lessons of our Pre-K gymnastics programs are helping kids with listening skills and following directions while also emphasizing balance and coordination. Our Kindergarten level gymnastics kids are learning to work in groups and cooperate because we know controlling emotions is as important as body control and agility.

All the Flips, Twisters, Aerials, and Hot Shots of our Grade School Gymnastics programs are strengthening their bodies and getting a springboard (pun intended) of confidence. Plus, our Dance kids are twirling like snowflakes, Sports Skills kids are improving arm strength for throwing snowballs, and our Karate students are practically chopping firewood with their bare hands (okay, a slight exaggeration).
 
Check out the photos of The Little Gym kids (on our facebook page) having as much as fun as a summer vacation, no matter what the thermometer says.


Don‟t forget - We also have great winter day camps coming up (Dec 19 - 24). And if you want to squeeze in a date night (or maybe some holiday shopping without the kids around), we‟ll be having another Parents‟ Survival Night on Saturday, December 17th.
Finally, remember that giving someone some Serious Fun is an excellent gift. We have gift certificates available if you want to give the unique gift of skill building and Three-Dimensional Learning.

Til next time,
Your friends in fitness, fun and fundamentals at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego.

Special Novmember offer for your friends at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego

The ongoing success of our business is largely based on our members' glowing endorsements. If you've found value in The Little Gym programs, seen your children grow in our classes or have a blast in a birthday party or camp, we kindly ask that you spread the word!


If your friend enrolls in a class at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego, now through November 30, 2011, we will thank them by giving them a $25 consideration towards their tuition, AND we will give you a $25 credit that you can use towards any class payment, party, camp, or Parents' Survival Night. (This is in addition to the 1000 Member Milestone reward points you receive automatically when your friends enroll in a class.)

Your friend must be new to The Little Gym classes.


To receive this offer and ensure you receive your $25 credit, your friend should bring a print-out of this offer with the following filled in:


Child Name (who is enrolling): _______________________

Parent Name: _________________________________


Friend who referred us to The Little Gym: ___________


_____________________________________________



Please call (503) 595-9702 if you have any questions about The Little gym and this special November offer!

Shutterfly Photo Book Offer for The Little Gym Members Expires Soon!

While we believe that enrolling in The Little Gym is rewarding for kids in many ways, we are also happy to give our enrolled members an extra reward when we can. This Fall, all enrollees for The Little Gym of Lake Oswego’s 2011-2012 Season received an offer for $20 off a Shutterfly photo book. The offer expires in just a few weeks (November 18 to be exact) so make sure to go online to shutterfly.com and order your book. In addition, if you are new to Shutterfly, they are also giving 50 free prints.


Their photo books are a great way to preserve memories, and of course, photo opportunities abound here at The Little Gym. With the holidays coming, the photo books can also make an excellent gift and keepsake, so don’t forget to take advantage of this special The Little Gym member offer. We just got our gym’s photo book in today – with over 60 photos from our Halloween Party. It ended up costing us $4, plus $4 for shipping, and it only took us 15 minutes to produce!

If you didn’t receive your $20 voucher, you can pick one up at the gym! And check out our Halloween photo book when you come to class this week!

Halloween's coming... Are you ready?

I wonder how many parents would say that Halloween is their favorite holiday.  You get to hand out candy to the neighborhood children who are dressed up in various cute, scary, or strange costumes.  And if you're really into it, you can decorate your house or get dressed up yourself.  There are always a few houses that we love to go to because the houses are frighteningly decorated.  For my family, we've set up a ritual in which we bring a portion of our candy to a local dentist so we're not left with pounds of sweets after the 31st.  But Mom & Dad are allowed to share in the goodies.   :-)

We're getting ready for Halloween at The Little Gym too!  Our annual Members-only Halloween Party will take place on Sunday, October 30th.  Details about the party can be found on the announcements page of our website. 

Our team is excited to get dressed up in costume and have fun with all of the children and parents who we see each week in class.  I've got my costume ready to go...  I hope you join us at The Little Gym and come to our members-only Halloween Party!

Recent email from one of our customers! Yay!

We always love hearing from our customers about how The Little Gym has been a part of their life.  Last week, I received an email from a mother of twins who have been coming to The Little Gym of Lake Oswego for just over four years.  She had a great experience at our September Parents' Survival Night and said I could post her words.   Here they are!

"[My husband] and I love bringing the kids to Parents' Survival Night!  Your staff does such a great job entertaining and teaching the kids.  We can relax on our date knowing that they are having a blast! 

Actually, they always have so much fun that it can be a challenge getting them to leave.  Last night, we arrived early (around 9) to pick up the kids.  As we were arriving, they were about to do their craft and didn't want to go. Teacher James intervened and spoke with the kids to prepare them to leave and talked with them about doing the craft at home.  Skillfuly, he spoke with them, then had the gruop wish them a good night as they left with us.  It was AWESOME!  Smoothest pick-up of the kids ever... :-)

Thanks to everyone and especially James for helping make the experience particularly positive and stressless."

(We have an award that I give to our instructors when I get great feedback from customers.  It's our "Employee of the Week" award.  James will be getting it this coming week!)

Come "meet" The Little Gym founder, Robin Wes!

Robin Wes founded The Little Gym 35 years ago.  He is an amazing person.  In my 6 years in The Little Gym system, I've met him about a dozen times - at the annual "Reunion" at at various trainings.  He lives and teaches in the Bellevue, WA area.

Yesterday, he was on a Seattle, WA news program, being interviewed about The Little Gym.  Then he treated the audience with some children showing their gymnastics and listening skills while Robin played guitar and sang a The Little Gym song.

Please watch this video to see where The Little Gym came from... Robin is the soul of The Little Gym and our philosophy and Serious Fun flows from him.

Enjoy!