When you are a one-car family, and your one car happens to be a sedan, babysitting can present an interesting challenge. We have those massive Britax carseats that quite literally can fit an adult and they don’t play well when you try to squeeze in another two carseats into the backseat. We recently had two of our favorite little friends over for our very first slumber party and keeping a gaggle of girls inside for the entirety of the visit was not an option. (more…)
On 05.11.10 | In Family Biking Adventures | By Angie
It’s not news that I struggle with my commute to work–a lot. So much so that I’ve pretty much given up on it over the past two months. But last night, I had an idea–why not put my bike on the car rack, drive the girls to school, and bike to work from there? This would cut out a good five miles and significantly decrease the odyssey-esque feel of my ride. I pitched the idea to Jesse and suggested he ride his new bike (yes, I said new bike–details coming soon!) and take the car home. For the record, I’m not some siren of car driving tempting my husband into the car–I don’t want to be labeled as the Yoko Ono of family biking. He was excited for the opportunity to switch up his routine, so it was a win for all. This won’t be our new daily routine, but will be a great way to mix things up at least once a week. (more…)
On 02.21.10 | In General | By Angie
I can’t help it–I’m feeling slightly smug. For the first time ever, I had a completely carfree day while hubby actually drove the car. This is the guy that rides in the freezing rain, so this never happens (and now that I wrote this, you can be sure it will never happen again).
Hubby woke up and took the girls to church–in the car–while I packed up for brunch with some lovely ladies over at Mme Paulita’s maison. It was only about an eight mile ride and the weather was too perfect to miss (especially after our unreasonably long winter). Plus, there were promises of candied bacon. So I loaded up the basket on the Red Ryder and set out.
Homemade pear bread in a basket
The ride was mostly perfect, except for a slight detour due to bad Google Maps directions. I felt like a caged bird set free after such a long break and the sun, though slightly warmer than expected, did my soul good. The goal was to work on some crafty stuff, but unfortunately Jesse had a school commitment so I had to head out early. I decided to head home via bus, as the bus stop was right around the corner and lets out at my street. The bus ride home was equally nice, exposing me to parts of the route I’ve yet to see.
When I got home, Jesse loaded up–again, in the car–and headed out to manage a road clean-up project with his students.
So there you have it. I’m pretty sure this will become one of those legendary he said/she said memories still battled out even as the marriage approaches the golden anniversary. But, once upon a time, I rode my bike all day while my husband stayed in his little cage.
On 01.17.10 | In General | By Angie
As I mentioned a while ago, I got a new bike for Christmas – yay!! It was technically meant to be a birthday present, but I accidentally saw it get delivered and sort of strong-armed my way into receiving it early. I did my best to play along, assuming it would show up under the Christmas tree á la A Christmas Story (hence the name); when it didn’t, well…let’s just leave it there, shall we? (more…)
On 01.09.10 | In Family Biking Adventures | By Angie
Florida is in a frenzy. All across the state, including right here in Orlando, there are predictions of snow. You’d think these little snowflakes were really the white horses of Armageddon the way people are panicking. Because it’s just a minor novelty that won’t require shoveling nor salting, I’m actually quite excited. It’s been incredibly cold all week and hubby wasn’t comfortable taking Viv by bike in this weather, so I’ve been driving all week (not that I wasn’t secretly a little relieved). We aren’t prepared for this kind of weather gear-wise, so it’s not really been pleasant for my husband to ride in freezing temps all week. You can imagine his dismay, then, when I kept begging for a bike ride today–the coldest day of the week.
On 12.14.09 | In Family Biking Adventures | By Angie
I think when people hear about our challenge to live on 4,000 miles, they immediately see it as hindering our way of life–I know I thought it would at first. It’s true that I have to think a lot more about where I go, but it’s really been interesting to see how often going by bike actually expands our possibilities. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s still such a surprise! (more…)
On 12.08.09 | In General | By Angie
‘Tis the season to be jolly and pretty much nothing makes me happier right now than my hubby’s amazing high school students. My husband has been teaching at the same school for several years now and, since both my daughters have been enrolled in the on-campus daycare program, I’ve grown to have pretty high expectations for the students. However, what I’m seeing lately blows my mind. (more…)
On 12.02.09 | In Family Biking Adventures | By Angie
Is the fact that I bought a live tree at all negated by the fact that I carried it home by bike?
The First Annual Christmas Tree Run
On 11.24.09 | In Family Biking Adventures | By Angie
I can’t believe that not only did we survive camping by bike, but that I would totally do it again. I swear, I don’t even know me anymore!
We packed up the bikes Friday night in the hopes of getting out early on Saturday morning and therefore missing Saturday traffic. I carried all of the camping gear and Jesse was to carry the food, clothes, kids, and the dog. Of course, we were running behind schedule on Saturday morning–such is life with kids. Keri and Robert came over to the house to get some photos and video for some projects the Florida Bicycle Association is working on (wonder what the neighbors must think) and it was about 10:30 AM before we were ready to head out. Robert wisely suggested that we test out the bikes and, upon trying out my first turn, I promptly dropped my bike in my neighbor’s yard. My bike was loaded with about 150 lbs of gear and it was much harder to handle than I expected. I was already nervous about riding with such a large load, but dropping my bike put me even more on edge. There was no turning back at this point, so off we went! (more…)
On 11.20.09 | In Commuting | By Angie
I think I’m getting the hang of this whole car-light thing! I’ve ridden to Sofie’s school. I’ve ridden to the store. Today I put the two together! It’s sort of like a dance–you learn the moves one-by-one and then you put them together and you’ve got this nice little dance routine.
I had to drop Sofie off by 8 AM for school, but then be back by 10 AM for her Thanksgiving school recital. I also needed to go to Target for some last minute camping gear, so I decided to take Sofie to school, go to Target, and then go back to the school. Even though it would have been perfectly normal for me to do any of these trips by bike individually, it’s a big step for me to work them together and run a full set of errands by bike. Only a few weeks ago, it would have felt like too much time on the bike and too much hassle; now it’s just a way of life. I really didn’t even consider taking the car, which is a big change in my way of thinking.
In other news, I’m happy to hear that the county plans to replace the dinky trail closure sign with a detour traffic route! This makes me so incredibly happy! I am thrilled to hear that they are treating the trail as a viable transportation route and assisting with a detour.
Now to load my bike with all the camping gear. I think my baby is going to be happy to be put to her full use!
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