Category Archives: Biking

Eats and rides

Just over a week ago, I bundled Sir into the trailer for a very cold trip to the park,  one that had me questioning my judgement and worrying about frostbite on tiny fingers.  He seemed fine with the outing, but I think he might not realize how cold he was until it was too late.  After a bit of walking and one trip down the frosty slide, I bundled him back into the trailer and hightailed it home.

Two days later, we were out again, with temperatures in the fifties — you know, normal January weather.  Sir rode in the IBert, and we biked to the coop-style farmers’ market where we buy eggs.   Of course, the warm weather came with strong southerly breezes, which asserted themselves on the way home.  Let’s just say I got a good work out.

The weekend brought a few more rides, along with much cooking.  These baked “everything” nachos were actually last Thursday’s dinner, along with some homemade guacamole: tortilla chips layered with refried beans, sauteed onion, cabbage, and sweet potato, salsa, and cheese.

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On Saturday, we hosted a small gathering for my father-in-law, and Matthew made a delicious apple crisp.  Once our guests left, I cranked it into high gear to have dinner ready by 5:30 (about the latest we can eat if we’re all going to eat together, given Sir’s bed time).  Fortunately (and miraculously), this Moroccan Lentil Soup (inspired by Stacey’s recent post) came together quickly, and Matthew worked on the bagna cauda, which we spread on bread to round out the meal.

Sunday brought another colder solo bike ride before the really cold weather hit to start the week.  Since then, I’ve been hibernating, eating leftovers, and wrangling a crazy teething monster.  Yep, Sir is cutting his two-year molars (at eighteen months, of course).  As soon as I saw the teeth under the gums, I reminded him of our deal that after he finishes teething, there is no more fussing allowed, EVER.

Gearing up and getting out

A post about biking with the trailer is in the works, but the truth is, even before last week’s snow and the resulting icy roads, Gabriel and I have been sticking closer to home, with more outings by foot.  That, and quite a lot of car outings for family time over the holidays.

Last Friday, we walked through a pretty snowfall for a family pizza dinner outing.  Not amazing pizza, but good, with a nice atmosphere, and the whole being able to walk there makes it taste better thing going.

Thus far, we’ve been pretty minimalist with Gabriel’s footwear — barefoot or socks (no shoes) exclusively for the first year.  While we were mired in indecision (and Gabriel got closer to walking), trying to find a balance between good shoes that would actually be foot shaped and healthy for his feet and not spending an unreasonable amount of money for shoes that he would outgrow in a few months, my MIL bought a pair of Skidders (I’ve also seen them called Rubberoos).

Foot-shaped, flexible, easy to wear, they’re a kind of hybrid sock-shoe: sock-like fabric top with a thin, flexible, grippy rubber bottom.  They’ve been great for the past few months, and Sir logged some serious miles in them, between walks with me and with his grandpa (up to a half mile!), but they’re not so good for walking outside in wet/cold/snowy conditions.

Though I liked the design of some of the Keen infant/toddler boots, I couldn’t bring myself to drop eighty dollars or more on a pair, so last week (just in time for the snow), I compromised on an okay-for-not-to-frequent-wear pair of snow boots at a kids’ consignment store.  Gabriel had to relearn walking with the new kicks, but he picked it up fairly quickly.

On NewYear’s day, we hit the slopes.  Luckily, the park at the end of our street has a decent little hill.  Walkable sledding hill equals not having to navigate iffy streets in the car, a definite win.

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Yes, there may have been as much grass as snow on some parts of the hill, but we take what we can get.

It’s been chilly (by StL standards) since the snow, and I’ve been in hibernation mode, but time outside is unarguably good for Gabriel (and probably good for me too), so we bundled up yesterday morning and ran some errands on foot, picking up a shoe repair and ducking into Home Eco.  We stuck to the sunny, non-icy side of the street, and Gabriel covered some serious distance before accepting a lift in the stroller.

Even in our not-super-cold temps (high teens, low twenties, may feel colder with wind), the right gear — warm footwear, good mittens, and, yes, balaclavas — make outside time much nicer.  An added bonus of the balaclavas — we’re ready to rob banks at the drop of a hat . . .

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. . . or ready to encounter slightly sinister looking snowmen.  Happy winter!

Through the eyes of a child

I enjoy tasteful Christmas light displays, but I usually turn up my nose at the other holiday outdoor decorations.  Halloween inflatables, Easter yard ornaments, colored lights for almost any holiday imaginable — talk about over-consumption and collecting lots of limited-used stuff that just sits in a bin somewhere for most of the year.

So I’m more than a bit sheepish to admit that I’m enjoying my neighborhood’s enthusiasm for Halloween this year (our part of the city is apparently known for really getting into Halloween).  It’s not that I, personally, am wowed by the pumpkins, tombstones, and ghosts on display, but rather that I enjoy seeing Gabriel’s reaction — his smiles, wonderment, and delight as we pass by the festive houses on our daily outings.

It goes without saying that the sights are best enjoyed from the vantage and pace of walking or biking, as I doubt he can see much, if anything, from his car seat.  I shamelessly direct his attention to houses of special interest as we bike to the park or on various errands.  He points, smiles, and says, “That,” to show his appreciation.

While it doesn’t really alter my general feelings on buying and displaying holiday yard ornaments, I’m enjoying a slightly different perspective this year, looking through the eyes of a toddler.

 

Blogging in a vacuum

Life these days: bike rides with The Dude, warm fall days in the park, making full use of my new gym membership, settling into the one-nap-a-day schedule . . . .

All-in-all, not bad, but I’m a little blah on the blog.  For me, an important part of blogging is interacting with other bloggers: reading, commenting on, and being inspired by what others are writing.  Keeping up with a toddler doesn’t leave much time for me to check email and write my own posts, let alone stay up to date on the numerous blogs that I enjoy[ed].

I have no idea what’s going on over at Simply Bike, or what the Eco Cat Lady has been saying.  While I have plenty of post ideas, I feel disconnected, with little inspiration to take the time to write.   Although virtual interactions are no substitute for face-to-face relationships, they’re still important, and I feel their absence these days.

Cool weather biking with baby

While we’re still in cool fall weather and not cold winter weather mode, yesterday’s morning bike ride prompted an impromptu solution for staying warm on the bicycle.  My balaclava was only a tad big on little Pookie.

He was a good sport about the new head gear.  I missed having my face covered, but I still had my under-the-helmet hat, so we were both fairly cozy.

In fact, he may have found it a bit TOO cozy and comfortable, because he fell asleep on the way home.  We’ve just switched to one nap a day, and fearing that an 11:00am bike seat snooze would be disastrous to the real deal, I fought hard to keep him awake — shaking his shoulder, talking and singing to him, and ringing the bell (right in his ear!).

He was so out of it, he just turned his head a bit and whimpered at my efforts.  I felt like a jerk, but I really didn’t want to jeopardize a good nap later.  Not to mention that it was rather difficult to shift with his head on my hand.

Anyway, Matthew reminded me that we have an extra small adult balaclava somewhere around here.  If we find it, that should work well for brisk days.  For really cold weather, I think the trailer will be the warmest spot, since the rain cover turns it into an almost completely enclosed space (save for the vents).

We’ll probably still have to draw the line somewhere, temperature-wise, to prevent freezing little hands and feet.  We generate internal heat while biking (and even with that and good mittens and boots sometimes have trouble keeping the extremities warm), but he won’t have that advantage when he’s just along for the ride.

Anyone else have a minimum temperature for biking with little ones, or general suggestions for keeping them warm and happy?