October Mom of the Month

Our mom of the month program honors moms for their efforts to lead healthy lifestyles, and gives us a chance to get to know them better at the same time!

September's featured Mom of the Month is Rebecca Dunhem! 

Congrats, Rebecca!

Rebecca joined us at Stroller Strides two years ago while on maternity leave after her second adorable boy was born.  She then went back to work until earlier this year when she transitioned to life as a stay-at-home-mom and has been a Stroller Strides member ever since, and is now counting the days until baby boy #3 arrives!!  Rebecca brings a great upbeat spirit and energy to our workouts and meetups, and has inspired us all with her awesome running progress beginning with our Running Mamas program last fall and continuing through the present... even running 2 miles at over 8 months pregnant recently, wow!!  ;)  Join us in congratulating Rebecca and read on to get to know her a little better.  

Hometown: Roanoke, VA

Current part of the Triangle that you live in: Cary

Education: Bachelors of Science in Sociology and Psychology as well as a Masters of Criminal justice. I've never actually used my Masters degree except to write it on my resume and to prolong entering the real world of work.

Stroller Strides Member since: I originally began participating in SS while on maternity leave Oct 2010 and participated during the summer when school was out. I became a regular member in Jan. 2012 when I decided to become a SAHM.

Members of your Family: Dan (my fantastic hubby of 12 years), Jonathan (7 yrs. old), Brayden (2 yrs. old), Kippy my cat (14 yrs. old), and soon to join us Landon.

Tell us about your children: As I respond to this survey, I have two boys who could not be more different from each other! I very lovingly call Jonathan "my little nerd". He loves science and reading (particularly non-fiction) and is curious about everything! He likes to take things apart just so he can figure out how they work and he also likes to build stuff. He is a 2nd grader at Penny Rd. Elem. School and a very active member of his cub scout pack. Brayden is two with A LOT of energy. He is very loving and playful. On one hand, I think he is the messiest kid ever, but on the other, he likes to help clean up. Any day now, we plan to welcome baby Landon into our family, and I can't wait to find out what he is going to be like!

Current/previous Career: I was an adolescent addictions counselor for 5 years. Then, I decided to go back to school to earn my license to teach. I taught middle school special ed. for a total of 5 years in Wake Co. before deciding to stay home with my boys for awhile.

What was your childhood ambition? I wanted to be a journalist and travel the world. I still want to travel the world!

What does motherhood mean to you? I love being a mom! I like to be challenged and motherhood has provided the ultimate challenge to me. I wonder everyday how my boys will turn out as teens and adults, and yet I look at them in amazement of who they are now.

What is the furthest you have been from home? I'm not sure which is further away, but it would be either Hawaii or Sweden.

What has Stroller Strides done for you? Before joining Stroller Strides, I wanted to get back into shape for a very long time, but struggled to figure out how to manage this. Stroller Strides has provided me with much needed structure and support to get back into shape. Also, after a "15 year sabbatical", the Running Mamas has reintroduced me to running, and I'm loving it!

What is your favorite exercise? Running with the mamas and squats.

What is your proudest moment? I have two - becoming a mom the first time and 5 years later delivering a 9.5 pound baby without meds.

What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? traveling, food, and having fun!

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. I can't think of anything surprising about me, but what makes me unique is that I have an identical twin sister who lives in California.

If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? I asked him, and he said I'm good at keeping the house going/ organized, encouraging and supportive of him and the kids, and loving.

What advice would you give to moms looking to get back into shape? Keep at it and stay positive! You don't get out of shape over night and you don't get back into shape over night (I hope I remember this in the coming months!)