Cycling and Another Birthday

Sweetie had dance class Monday afternoon and we also needed to stop at the library. The day was beautiful - mid 80s - so we opted to take the bike and trailer. I love it when I can essentially "kill 2 birds with 1 stone" and complete our errands while simultaneously getting a good workout.

The ride into town (we stopped at the library) was smooth... 4.64 miles at an average 9.2 mph. Given that I am pulling a bike trailer that is certainly a drag in terms of physics, I'm okay with the slow speed. My max was 24.9 - of course that is from the downhill portion. We then covered another 1.29 miles together en route to dance... averaging 6.6 mph (through town, avoidiing cars, stopping at intersections, weaving around peds in the park).

Buddy played with Legos during Sweetie's class. My neighbor, whose granddaughter also takes dance, offered to give the kiddos a ride home (her granddaughters were coming over for dinner that evening so the kiddos could play for a while as I pedaled home sans the extra weight). I jumped at the offer as much of the return is uphill. The return ride was 7.07 miles at an average 8.2 mph. The climb is easier without the weight but I was still pulling the trailer and the wind was against me the entire return home.

13 total miles at an average 8.3 mph. Yucky when you compare my cycling speed with others but good considering the poor aerodynamics of the trailer and the added weight. I am considering investing in a new helmet and a holder for a water bottle. Perhaps gloves, too. A question for ya'll - should the kiddos also wear a helmet when they are in the trailer?

I took Tuesday as a rest day... we just had too much going on...

The kids and I lead a Nature Walk at the museum at 9:30. We came home shortly before 11 and I frosted a cake for a friend's birthday party later in the afternoon. Sweetie then helped me to clean the house and make lunch.

At 1:30, two families joined us for a Roots & Shoots activity (two others called with apologies they wouldn't be able to make it - we're going to do a make-up session on Thr). We read a great children's book, In the Woods, Who's Been Here? and then did a fun activity to learn about the parts of a tree. We had planned on going for a walk but it was too cold and windy - odd, since we had 90 degree temps over the weekend! (More details on these activities can be found on our homeschool blog.)

Shortly after everyone left, we departed as well. We drove across town for a birthday party. We all had a great time. The sky cleared and the sun came out to celebrate with us. The kids were able to get outside to play. My girlfriend planned a fun safari themed scavenger hunt and thereafter each of the kids enjoyed a horse ride around the farm.

Buddy fell asleep on the way home (Yay!) so I put him to bed early. Surprisingly, he woke just once to lay beside me a while but he went back to sleep immediately. Lucky for us. Sweetie decided to do a little schoolwork just before bed - and I obliged. We all hit the pillow by 9 p.m. We are such wusses. :D