January, 2012

Winter Fun at the Double JJ

The Double JJ Resort in Rothbury is open year round to families.  In the winter they feature tons of outdoor activities as well as an awesome indoor water park.  Watch the segment and get the keyword to enter the contest!!

Tubing Fun at the Double JJ

The Double JJ has over 500 feet of tubing fun for families.

Indoor Water Park Fun

After a long day outside, the Double JJ offers an amazing indoor water park for the family to warm up and play!

Sleigh Rides at the Double JJ

Every weekend the Double JJ Resort offers sleigh rides for families.

Maranda Gets a Dog Sled Lesson

One of the unique winter activities that the Double JJ Resort offers is dog sledding.  Maranda got a lesson in mushing from the pros.

Family Fun This Weekend!

Here are some fun family events happening this weekend…..Where You Live!

 Open Wide Exhibit at the Grand Rapids Childrens’ Museum, now - Sunday, April 16.  www.grcm.org

This is the first weekend of the Open Wide exhibit at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum.  Kids can learn the basics of dental health while they role play as dentists, brush teeth and put braces on life-size puppets.

 Michigan International Auto Show, Thursday, January 26 through Sunday, January 29 DeVos Place – Grand Rapids www.showspan.com

Auto manufacturers from around the world will bring over 300 new vehicles to DeVos Place, including the latest in sedans, vans, SUV’s, trucks, hybrids and sports cars.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $4 for kids.

Grand Haven Winterfest, Thursday, January 26 through Sunday, January 29-Downtown Grand Haven www.winterfestonline.org

Events include a family dog pull, cardboard sled race and all kinds of winter activities for kids.

Richmond Park Winter Rush, Saturday, January 28 at 11am, Richmond Park – Grand Rapids www.winterrush.com

Winter Rush is an extreme race designed to incorporate the natural outdoor elements of Richmond Park located in the heart of Grand Rapids. Fun course elements include sledding, snow angel making, a wall climb and run through the wood.  Bring the kids out and cheer on the participants!

 This week on Where You Live, we’re talking winter fun at the Double JJ Ranch and Resort in Rothbury, Michigan.  We’ll show you everything that the Double JJ offers families this time of year including tubing, dog sledding and sleigh rides.  Plus, we’ll have your chance to win a two-night stay for your family!  Watch Friday at 7pm on WXSP, Saturday at 7:30am & 7:30pm on WOTV and Saturday at 6:30pm on WOOD TV.

The challenge of resolutions

How are your resolutions coming along? Even though we’re still hanging on to January, it can be difficult to maintain momentum at this point in the year. The routine has started again, the stresses have returned. Winter has now arrived, so we often end up just wanting to do what is comfortable and familiar.

I’m sure many of you have set goals about improving fitness and exercising more frequently. Perhaps your body is something that brings negative thoughts to mind and you want that to change. Dieting and diet related products are a forty billion dollar a year industry—this speaks loudly to the truth that you are not alone—many people want their bodies to change!

It is very easy to be critical of ourselves–especially when we’ve set goals that aren’t turning out the way we had hoped. Thoughts of “I’m failing at this too” or “I knew that I would mess up, what’s my problem” start to take over the adrenaline and motivation we were experiencing a couple of weeks ago.

I want to encourage you to re-focus. Not just by doing more, by checking off that daily workout on your to do list, but by focusing on what is going on inside of you. Allow yourself to tune in to the chatter inside of your mind. Take a moment to ask yourself if the way that you talk to yourself is helpful and encouraging—to you and to others. When we are self critical, we often become more critical of others.

Attempting to re-focus might look something like this…if a typical thought of yours in response to a recently set goal is “I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this, why am I even trying,” attempt to put the feeling that underlies that comment into a statement that is self affirming and motivating. This could include statements like “This is hard, and I am learning how to be determined.” Another example could be “The effort put into this change is helping me become a stronger person.” Getting away from self criticism can be one of the first steps at becoming successful with the goals we set for ourselves.

For more information on behavioral health issues, or to seek assistance, go to www.pinerest.org.

Off to Play at the Double JJ!

This weekend on “Where You Live” we’re heading north to the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury for some winter adventures!  We’ll go snow tubing, dog sledding and for a horse drawn wagon ride through the snow!  Plus, we’ll check out the Gold Rush Indoor Waterpark!   And we’re giving away two overnight stay and play packages!!  It’s an amazing  place with an amazing contest!  Watch “Where You Live” this weekend at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on WOTV 4 and 6:30 p.m. on WOOD TV 8!

Finding the Financing for College

With the cost of college rising each year, many families are wondering, “can we afford college for our children?” We sat down with Don Green, Vice President of Extended and Internal Operations for Ferris State University, to get some pointers for parents.

Meet Katie Douglas

Katie Douglas is a senior at Ferris State University that is financing her own college education.  She is juggling loans, scholarships and multiple jobs to take on as little debt as possible.