So I thought I had this marvelous idea that would not only get me in shape, teach my kids about the importance of exercise and environmental protection, but also get me out there interacting with my community; plants, people, places, etc. My resolution was to give up my car for the summer. It didn't take long before I had an addendum to my resolution. After contemplating the possibility of biking/hiking/walking to a friend's house who lives behind CV (which would have entailed a bike ride to Winco, where I would lock up the bike, put Claire in a backpack and drag my other two children 1 to 2 miles up and through McDonald forest, which I'm sure would include times where I would also have to carry Anna...great fun I'm sure)I decided to only give up the van within the city limits of Corvallis. This was great because berry picking, traveling, etc. were all again doable. My next alteration to my original plan came when I was planning a trip to Albany and was invited to a play date afterward. I really didn't want to go home after Albany, load the kids into strollers, scooters, bikes, or bike trailers and then meet my friend. So then I had my 2nd rule. I only had to ride/walk if my point of departure was my house and my destination was in Corvallis. So with my two defining points established, I embarked on my adventure. Everything seemed to be going along smoothly. Walking/biking downtown...no problem. I'd done that many times and it was always enjoyable. The library...piece of cake. Coop...why doesn't everyone walk? OSU...I laugh in the face of a challenge. Then a friend asked me to meet for a play date at Wildcat park. I stopped laughing. The logistics of getting 3 kids from South town to Wildcat park where quite daunting. I had seen people biking around town with the tag-a-long and Burley attached in one long ridiculous train but I didn't know if I could do it all the way to the other side of town. I checked to make sure it was in the city limits and was disappointed even though I knew it was. I thought about driving to Monmouth for some sort of errand just so I could drive and still obey my rules. Then I thought I just won't go. But I couldn't cancel. What would be the point if every time my resolution became difficult I just didn't do it. So I hooked up the tag-a-long to my bike, the Burley to the tag-a-long, wrestled Claire into the trailer, bribed Anna in, heard the bike "train" fall over as I ran in the house for the water bottles, finagled the helmets onto all the kids' heads with Claire screaming, scraped some paint off the house as our entourage squeezed through the ridiculously small opening leading out of our garden, started off down the street, realized I had forgotten diapers and wipes, flipped a u-y in the middle of the road, ran over Hailey's foot with the Burley, left Hailey in charge of the kids as I ran inside, heard Claire start screaming and shortly after Anna, came back, asked Anna what was wrong, she said the baby was crying too loud and it hurt her ears, unsnapped the Burley, hugged both kids, buckled everyone back in, re-snapped the Burley, and....we were off. As we rode I thought this isn't so bad. I can do this. The baby had stopped crying, people in cars were courteous, 10th street had hardly any traffic. I arrived quite late for the play date because it had taken me so long to get ready and after the kids played for about 45 minutes it was time to pack up and head back home for lunch. I looked at it as a great opportunity for exercise, packed everyone back up and headed home. About 5 minutes into the return trip, I realized it had become much warmer than on the ride to the park about the time the baby started screaming because she was getting blasted by the sun. I stopped, handed Anna and Claire a water bottle and a spray bottle (I instructed Anna to spritz Claire's feet periodically), and safety pinned a blanket to the netting in front of their face so they wouldn't be blasted by the sun, and continued on my way. 2 minutes later when Claire started to fuss, I yelled over my shoulder, "Anna spray her feet". Anna must have thought I said face because I hear the sound of a spray bottle 4 times in quick succession and Claire taking gasps of air in between squirts. I then yell back, "Not her face her feet", as Claire has now begun to scream her head off. Obviously Anna cannot hear me, her hearing loss aided by the blanket over the Burley, and I cannot see them because of said blanket. Anna still does not hear me and sprays Claire in the face again, which is obvious because of the constant shocked gasps in between screeches. Between Hailey and I we finally got Anna to stop spraying Claire in the face (it never dawned on me to stop pedaling and communicate directly...once you get going on a bike there's some mental block that occurs that stops you from ever getting off your bike unless it is a dire emergency or you've reached your destination). We were coming to a downhill portion of our ride where there was a steep corner at the bottom of a very steep grade. Hailey had just helped me pedal across a busy intersection and we were booking. Hailey decided now would be a great time to see how riding with no hands would be. We came barreling down the hill and I realized I was going slightly too fast for my train. I hit the brakes as we went squealing around the corner and because Hailey wasn't holding on to the handlebars she tried to use her body to help her balance, which sent the bike lurching to the side right at the imperfect time. I lost control and we ended up in the bushes next to the bike path. It could have been worse, but then it was. The girls who love Abba decided almost crashing into the river was the perfect opportunity to serenade their mother with a medley of Songs from Mama Mia. Between Anna belting out "You can dance, you can drive, having the time of your life" and Hailey's version of "Soupa Troupa" lights are gonna find you, shining like the sun" I couldn't think of a more enjoyable sound to bike to. After the 32nd round I realized something was making me cranky and started laughing hysterically in that strange maniacal fashion of a mad scientist. Claire fell asleep, bored to death by Mama Mia, on the way home and figured a 15 minute siesta was all the sleep she needed that day and so was a grouchy bear the rest of the evening. Oh the joyous benefits of not using the van. I'm not sure if I'm setting a good example for my children on how to be gentler on the environment or how to be a terrific shrieking banshee.
