Big Dummy for me!

I have finally picked out my next bike. I have been researching it online for quite a few months now. I started with the Xtracycle site http://www.xtracycle.com/ and all the information about the Free Radical. On their site I came across it...the perfect bike for a self-propelled mom...the Big Dummy. Made by Surly for Xtracycle; a complete bike with no need to change out my current bike (not that I have an amazing mtb for the free radical). And so, given that the Big Dummy is made by Surly I had to go to the Surly site http://surlybikes.com/bd_comp.html.

Just look at it! Longtail, lower center of gravity for hauling. Disc brakes, fabulous loaders. I am in love for sure. The test ride out in Dekalb the other week sealed the deal. Smooth, stable, steady. Sweet!

Obviously I need a larger frame than the one I rode. Also, I will probably go ahead and build it out myself, buying the frameset only. And I am so excited. I have never built out a bike before so the endeavor is both enticing yet overwhelming.

Spring Cleaning

Boy is it ever time for Spring cleaning...mentally, emotionally, physically...self, home, bike, wardrobe. This time of year amazes me. What is it about the change of seasons and urges to make one's own changes? As the weather warms and the breeze starts to feel good through slightly opened windows my thoughts seem to automatically turn to clearing out the old and purging the clutter.The last dregs of winter doldrums ready to slide from my mind and trickle away to nothing. My spirits lift and I think with excitement of the upcoming days. All the places not visited during the winter now beckon to me, my bike, and the wee one. Surely a trip to the zoo is forthcoming along with myriad trips to parks and playgrounds.But first, fitting the bike for our travels. We have moved from the old Raleigh tank to an old, but not so tankish Trek. Got his seat on it, all is oiled but still need to get the rack mounted...gotta have a place to carry our stuff! Need slighter higher stem for the handlebars, lights, new pedals, and new seat. All should be pretty easy to take care of and then we will be set to ride anywhere. Oh yeah, lets not forget lots of sunshine to bring some warmth on these still rather cool days.

Everyone's Twittering About It

I am trying to learn about Twitter and all its associated functions and uses. Wow. Who would have thought that microblogging (140 characters or less) could be so powerful. The informal guidelines and approaches to make this an effective platform seem simple yet I often feel lost as I learn to navigate this aspect of the internet world. I have the assistance of other "tweeters" though who occasionally send me specific links to check out. For instance, http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Effectively-Use-Twitter---Transparency,-Engaging-Conversation-and-Sharing-Information&id=1780341

In a nutshell, this is a social and/or business networking platform. Thoughtful tidbits of information available to anyone who chooses to follow my tweets or search keywords that appear in my tweets.

Talk about a wealth of information! I peruse the "tweets" of those I choose to follow and quickly get inundated with links to sites on marketing...fashion...bullying...I am limited only by boundaries I set by my choices.

3 Months Gone By...a world of change

Wow. Haven't been around here for a good 3 months. Crashing computer contributed to that. Its amazing how attached one becomes to the computer. Without it, I felt cut off and isolated. In my stay-at-home mom life choice, the Internet has been a major source of connection to others. And I am talking on many levels: the winter bike listserv that fuels my cycling spirit; email for contact with friends and family; Facebook for socializing and networking from a distance; Google for curiosity searches.



So with no computer and weather too cold and icy for riding with the wee one I hit the winter doldrums hard. Thankfully, I am moving on. Still not on the bike with the wee one but am back in computer land and am emerging from seclusion...and not just through the Internet.



The past month and a half has brought significant change with my decision to return to the workforce. I remain a stay-at-home mom but have started a business as a fashion consultant. Perhaps I should say image consultant...that is part of the goal I am working toward at any rate.



And throughout this process I plan to remain true to the values and lifestyle choices of our household:
Good health
Lifestyle inclusive of physical activity...aikido, bicycling, running, hiking trips, etc.
Positive relationship with my husband
Positive relationship with my children
Time to spend with my family
Mindfulness
Okay, maybe some have slipped in the past 3 months but I am back on track now.

Vicious Cycle

Wow. I just took the time to actually look at my riding. Seems I am in a slump. To go from 50 plus miles per week to the piddly amount I am at the past two weeks. I can feel it too. Funny how I love to be out on my bike so much but lately I have just felt the need to hibernate. I must admit that the approach of winter always brings a bit of a drag into my life. Too much darkness, not enough light. For all that I am a night creature, I do need sunshine during the daytime hours.

So I think of the vicious cycle I face this time of year. It is darker, more grey, a bit dreary so I don't ride so much. I don't ride so much and then I feel even less like getting outside. When I worked outside the home it was easy to combat this...I needed to get to my job...pedal pedal pedal and I feel fine. Now though, I don't have all that many places I need to go. Lets see, there is the grocery store and aikido class.

I guess my challenge for this winter season will be to find reasons to get out on the bike every day. I know it will help my mood, keep me fit, bring me that feeling of freedom I so very much crave....funny how those things aren't always that motivating.

The approach of Autumn each year brings with it a time of reflection for me. Some folks say they get tuned in with springtime and new growth. I like the Fall though. Trees turning into rainbows of greens, reds, oranges, and yellows. Crisp cool mornings with the warmth of the day coming in late afternoon. I like how the season eases into what will become the cold of winter. I enjoy how the crispness of the air during this season wakes me up.

I recently returned from a week away from home. I came back feeling crabby, ill-at-ease, and "stuck." I spent a few days feeling as if my being stuck was about not knowing what to write here. It was during one of my daily rides, on a cool sunny day, that I was hit with the more accurate perception that I was feeling stuck in my daily life and that is what caused my mental blank.

How thankful and grateful I am that I can get outdoors and exercise. Physical movement always helps me get my mind back on track and often brings clarity of perception and thought. These days riding my bike is the exercise, occasionally it is my aikido training, once upon it was running. Regardless of the form of movement, I know that it helps me be healthy and strong. It gives a chance for reflection and a pause from the busy-ness that comes with being wife, mother, individual.

"Have to..."

I spent a bit of this past week thinking about the phrase I have to... and what that really means. It isn't necessarily the imperative that the word have might suggest. For me, I have to... usually means I want to... or I am going to... A big one for me these days is the sentence I have to take my bike. I say this before going to the store, as I walk out the door to ride with my son to school, as I pedal in the rain. The truth though - I could take the bus or even my car that I pretend I no longer own.

I have heard it said that words have power. I believe this to be true. So creating a life that fosters and nourishes my beliefs requires me to take a look at those beliefs, to examine if what I do fits with them, and even to examine my language.

There really isn't anything wrong with saying I have to... but often I would do better to say I want to... or I choose to... Choice is powerful. Thoughtful choice requires intention and mindfulness. Saying I have to... implies obligation; I choose to... creates freedom.

Biking In The Rain With The One I Love

So I woke up this morning to the sound of pouring rain. My first thought - well, I guess we'll take the car to school. Second thought - or we could ride... My son does say he wants to ride in all weather and I am pretending there is no car sitting outside waiting for us to hop in.

I figure that rain riding has plenty of similarity to snow riding - precipitation, slippery roads, drivers so stressed about the weather they pay even less attention to bikes, the need to dress appropriately. People who do notice you thinking you are nuts. Especially if you have kids with you.

Morning went great. It wasn't raining too hard. My older son thought it was okay. I had to take the 2 y.o. on this rain trip, too. I strapped him in his seat (in front of me) and then zipped a rain jacket around him and the seat. It worked great! Hat with brim under his helmet, jacket hood on the outside. When we got home he kept saying "rain fun. ride ride. play rain." Atta boy...wait until he sees riding in snow.

My midday ride was a bit rainier so I decided to try riding in a poncho. I have toyed with the idea for a while. Advantages....most definitely helped keep the sweating down. I was as comfortable as I would have been on a dry ride for the day's temperature. Also, no water pooling on the jacket in my lap. I ride pretty upright with this bike so pooling sometimes happens with a jacket. And my poncho is smurf blue -- I was so noticeable to everyone.

Late day ride was pouring. Poncho still worked fine for my upper body but my legs got a bit wetter higher up due to side openings in the poncho. My little one still had fun. He was so not bothered by the rain he even fell asleep. He slouched a bit to the side and rested his head on my arm which was not so comfy for me but seemed perfect for him.

All in all, a good day. The kids seems okay with riding in inclement weather. And that had been my concern. So I am happy to think maybe I can get back to all-weather riding. And I only missed the car a little bit. I did have some moments of thinking this is miserable but then I remembered that even folks in cars tend to be miserable on rainy days. And the traffic slows them down much more than it slows me.

My poor lonely car - I hope somebody buys her soon.

A Bit of History

I guess the best place to start is with a bit of history.

My eldest son was born nearly 16 years ago. At that time, I was working full time and scrambling to make ends meet. I worked for a while and then decided to go to graduate school. I worked throughout grad school too. Always working outside of the home, always doing work I enjoyed. All in all, I was one very busy gal. I both loved and hated it. It felt great to be in the career world but I missed the opportunity to be home with my son. And he really could have benefited from my being home. He has always been a wonderful child with a great sensitivity and wonder at the beauty of the world. He also has some pretty severe learning issues that impact his life every day.

Now I know I am leaving out much detail but let's just fast forward to Winter 2005. We (my husband and I) found out we were going to have a baby. How exciting, how terrifying. Just like the first time around for me when I learned I was pregnant...excited and terrified. The issues this time around were different of course; 14 years of experience as a parent (both single and married) provides great perspective and nuance to one's world view.

The issues of 16 years ago - generating income, being a mom, raising a child, creating/maintaining a career - were not quite the issues for child number 2. With this pregnancy I was able to think about what is important to me and my family. Driving 1 1/2 to 2 hours one way for work and then working a 9-10 hour day before returning home exhausted lost all its appeal. How could I do such a thing to my not-yet-born child? We couldn't. Once he was born I just never returned to work.

Perhaps I should list a few of the things on the "Important to Me and My Family" list:

• Good health
• Lifestyle inclusive of physical activity...aikido, bicycling, running, hiking trips, etc.
• Positive relationship with my husband
• Positive relationship with my children
• Time to spend with my family
• Mindfulness

My list is more extensive but I believe these hit the main points. Others are items that can probably fit into the above. I can honestly say that it takes ongoing work to hit these 6 points in day-to-day living. How easy it is to become distracted by the Worries - money; my eldest son's academic/emotional/social functioning; the little one's current defiance as he strives for independence (our little wild child); the time my husband spends working to support us.

Thankfully, perspective helps turn Worries into Workable. I can usually, with a bit of self talk or a bike ride or watching the antics of my sons or a check-in with my husband, wrap those concerns into a smaller manageable package.

Okay, what's next? I'm not too sure yet but I bet it will be something to do with those 6 points. Or with bicycles. Did I mention I really like bikes?