What now?

We have no plans today. When the kids were very little and I stayed home with them, if the day got too claustrophobic, I'd throw them in the car and go for a drive. I still do that. If they're squirrely and bickering, I think of an errand or an outing and away we go. But I can't do that now, so I'm wondering what we will do with this day. So far, there's been a lot of computer playing--something called dinosaur run. They found cheat codes on-line, and now their dinosaurs have extra speed and strength. I need some cheat codes.

We took our first bike trip yesterday. We belong to a pool that's about 3/4 of a mile away. It's mostly downhill there, so A., who only just mastered a two-wheel-sans-training-wheels bike last summer did pretty well on the first leg. The trip back was a bit more of a struggle. W. raced ahead, but A. and I took our time. He's prone to giving up in frustrating situations, so I just tried to be supportive, reminding him of popsicles that waited for him at home. Sometimes we got off and walked our bikes. He fell a couple of times and a few other times threw the bike down in disgust, but we eventually reached our street. He seems proud of himself, so I'm hoping he won't balk when I want to do it again.

I already realize the importance of having a good bike, though. The kids' bikes are so heavy and clumsy, no wonder it's more difficult. My friend Judi came with me to buy mine, and urged me to buy the one I eventually got. It's a Novaro "Mia." It's a dream to ride. Definitely a street bike, but more upright, kind of cruiser-like. She says that it's closer to the style that they ride in Europe where commuter biking is more common. Which reminds me--check out her blog: http://www.sansauto.blogspot.com.