Introduce yourself!

I'm Elise! I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and then went to school in Arkansas, where I met my Texan husband.

Introduce your kiddo/s:

Our two kiddos are four-year-old Ezra (a charmer who talks nonstop and has a will as strong as his imagination) and 11-month-old Elodie. So far, she's our easy going one, with a ready laugh and smile.

How long have you been Stroller Striding/FIT4MOMming and how did you find us?

Ezra and I started doing Fit4Mom when he was two, so I think we just had our two year anniversary with the community this spring. I met some F4M mamas at Bear Branch park one day, did a free trial class that week, and signed up the same day!

Share a hidden talent!

I don't know if it's a talent (or hidden), but I love to write. But although I majored in English and French and did put those skills to use as a teacher for several years, these days most of my writing consists of spontaneous silly poems and songs for my kids.

Share a favorite mom moment:

It's hard to pick a favorite, but one special "mom moment" was when I told Ezra that Elodie was sitting up well enough to ride in the Costco cart with him. He was so overcome with joy that his eyes got watery and all he could do was hug me. It takes a lot to render him speechless, so it was precious to see his love for her and how happy he was to have a buddy on our next shopping trip.

What did you do before kid/s?

Before momming, I was a high school French teacher and instructional coach in CISD, and I still do some part-time education gigs here and there.

What keeps you coming back to FIT4MOM?

One of my favorite parts of F4M is having a "coach" (the instructors). If I were on my own, I'd just run, so I appreciate being directed in different exercises to really incorporate strength, agility, etc. Of course the camaraderie among the moms and the examples we're setting for our kids are the best aspects, however!

Share 3 things you love to do other than FIT4MOMming :)

In addition to F4M, I love reading novels (historical fiction and fantasy), going for coffee walks with my family or friends, and spending time with our church family (teaching the youth group girls and kids classes, in particular). My eldest and I also have fun doing at-home preschool together.

Our family feels extremely blessed to have F4M as part of our village.