Since we've all been sick recently, our Christmas wasn't very eventful. We stayed in town rather than head out to the in-laws' in the Bay Area. We finally took the boys out for the first time in over a week. They were pretty thrilled. The chilly Christmas morning required a quick coffee stop and lu

The boys were in the trailer so they could be bundled up and drink their coffees. Sadly, the rains showed up earlier than expected and while we were loafing around my parents' house, the trailer was getting drenched in the backyard. 

For the first time in a very long time, we took the car home without my feeling guilty. 

It took us another couple of days before we felt more fully recovered and to our dismay, the trailer had molded in the meantime. I hadn't realized how wet it had gotten under my parents' porch and hadn't thought to dry it out. Bummer. It's going to take some good scrubbing to try to get it back into shape. We had just been talking about selling the trailers and consolidating/upgrading to a Wike trailer. The Wike has more headroom, zip down windows, and better water-proofing (the Chariot has open grommets that caused the inside to get soaked during our Oregon trip). If we sold both Chariots, I think it would equal one Wike. Now, we'll have to see how well the double trailer fairs after this winter. 

We did finally head out to the Bay Area for in-law time. Sadly, I was without my bike for the weekend and holidays are just the time that I need extra riding in. We've already fallen back from biking because we were sick, add all the extra holiday eating I'm doing and busyness requires extra stress-relieving rides. It's a bummer for me to end the year on a low-mile month. 

I also kind of hate what driving does to us. Seriously. I hate driving. We stopped at In-n-Out and went through the DRIVE-THRU!!! 

Another bummer? Turns out Little Brother gets carsick. Blech! Good thing it's not our car with the stinky carseat. The little guy also picked up another fever today. Ugh! It'll be another interesting week. 

This morning was so foggy that I had to take off my glasses mid-ride so I could see. My gloves were still drenched from yesterday's downpour so I rode with my sleeves pulled down over my poor little frozen fingers. I still sound like a 2-pack-a-day smoker but it feels so good to ride, hacking and all. I might have looked like a mess on my bike today but the morning was so beautiful, I didn't care.

I rode to the pet store and asked how much a bale of hay cost.

"$8.09."

"Awesome, I'll take one!"

Okay, where are you parked?

"The bike out front."

"....Do you have a way to carry it?..."

"Yep!"

I go out to meet them at my bike. It's being carried on a cart. The lady looks at my Mundo and says "I'll need to get some help."

The thing is huge! I finally ask the right question. "How much does that weigh?"

"Sixty pounds." (Yikes! I hadn't anticipated it to be that big...)

What i actually say: "Oh. My kids weigh more than that."

The Peanut Shell is under that. Two straps, two bungee nets, and a slow ride home. We made it!

The chickens are thrilled! I'm going to need to do this more often!

First off, I have no idea what happened today but the webiste's page views jumped through the roof! (even though I haven't done anything fun in days!) So welcome, new readers, feel free to let yourselves be known, ask questions, share photos on the Tiny Helmets Facebook page, and join our little biking community--which is growing stronger by the minute! In fact, this evening, a friend from my Mommy Group just became the proud owner of a green Boda Boda! Adorable photo should be coming this weekend when her daughter sees her new ride this weekend.

So, I finally venture out of the house today! It was the first time since Thirsday. Luckily, I was starting to feel better earlier this week, just as Jose was coming down. They boys were better but Big Brither took a turn back down Sickiesville and ended up with a scary croup-like cough. Being up all night with the kid and my own horrible residual cough did not help the fact that today would be my first day back to work since last week (Jose was staying home since the boys are still both banned from school).

However, today was Practical Cycle's Holiday Party and I wouldn't dare miss that! Unfortunately, with my cough-ravaged voice, it was difficult to convince people that I was healthy enough to be there. My voice is almost totally gone after today.

Getting back on the bike was both terrifying and energizing. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to ride or that I'd make myself worse but in the end, it was exactly what I had needed. Two pairs of pants, three layers of socks, two sets of gloves, and a wool scarf added to the wind-buffer on this chilly day. I did five miles on The BionX to pick up party supplies then loaded theml into the Mundo and topped it off with the folding table. Fifteen total miles today, some easier than others, helped to wipe the last five sick days away. When I got home, I ate about half the pizza that was sitting on the table. Yum! Yep, I'm back to normal (and least most of me).

The day was a success! I was so happy to be out of the house! Yes, it was an adjustment and I was very tired by the end of the long day (especially after the incredibly long night). We had some great company at our holiday party and fantastic acoustic music from our friend Erik and his co-worker, Tom.

I had to stop on the way home to pick up more meds for Big Brother. I'll be the one staying home with him (and possibly Little Brother, if necessary) tomorrow. My voice will certainly need a day off anyway. Here's hoping I'm not forced to read Pet-Sizes Dinosaurs over and over and over...

We should have known something was up. My mom brought to boys over to ride the Polar Express but neither one was very happy. Big Brother was an especially big mess of crabbiness and he didn't even want to eat his cookie. Although they both were pretty happy to get their magic bell from Santa's sleigh!

That night, they both came down with fevers. Since they were banned from daycare, I had to call in to work and let them know I wasn't coming in.

Unfortunately, by Friday night, I was right there on the couch with them. We've been taking the weekend off and the boys have recovered almost completely. I'm hoping to be able to work tomorrow and, most importantly, be able to ride my bike! This laying around has done a number on my back and I'm ready (almost) to get moving again! Maybe I'll ease into it by using the BionX. People always ask what we'll do if we get sick and don't have a car. This is what we do--wallow around in self-pity, watching crappy tv, and sleeping. If there was a real emergency, we have friends and my parents on-call. Worst case--that's what an ambulance is for.

So please excuse this pity-post. I'm sure we'll be getting up to our regular adventures soon.

I have been thinking lately that my favorite thing about biking is that it opens yourself up to all kinds of new connections with the people around you. Granted, sometimes that can be a little stressful, such as the rare person who feels the need to tell you why they think you're a horrible parent or that you shouldn't be on "their" road. However, the majority of interactions I have while riding are fantastic! Just yesterday, a woman stopped me to ask where I got my Xmas lights on the Mundo. That turned into a discussion about the new homemade Bakfiets they just bought for their baby and all the great Sacramento family bikers she needs to meet. Just a few blocks later, I heard my name and a friend I hadn't seen in ages popped out of her car window to say hello! I love that I can say "thank you" to people on the street who aren't raking their leaves into the bike lane and "go ahead" to the pedestrians in the crosswalk. I politely (usually) remind people to watch out when they swing open their doors or park (car, bike, UPS, et al.) in the middle of the bike lane. It makes my day to hear all the "awesome," "right on," "so cute!" comments that we get every day. During our Xmas tree ride, a spandex'd roadie passed me, turned back in disbelief and with a huge smile said "I would have never thought it was possible!" Just today, I came home to a message on my machine from a guy saying "I'm a biker, too, and I found your wallet in the bike lane on T st." Brilliant! I hadn't even realized it was missing. 

In a car, we're sealed off to the outside world. We've been brainwashed into thinking this is a good thing. Keep all the bad things out, lock your doors, close your windows and turn up the a/c. God forbid you are exposed to the elements! My children ride on the bike feeling like they are in a parade. They smile and wave and interact with everything and everyone they see. They feel connected and in turn, reach out to their community. I try to do the same. Smiling and waving goes a long way to getting the people around you to notice you are a person, too. It's so easy to become an isolated zombie driver. 

Every day, we meet new people and see friendly faces because we are travelling by bike. I love changing people's minds (mine included) about what they think bikes can do and who they think bikers are. In the end, I just love to be reminded that we are all human and we should act that way towards each other. 

Another favorite thing about biking is our friendly local bike shop, Practical Cycle. A shop so caring that Tim made sure I brought Jose's Easton in to be fixed after reading about it from my last post. Now, not only is it in tip-top shape, it is also sporting a new set of fenders and a handy kickstand--very practical! Tim found that the reason the chain was skipping so badly was because it was actually bent, probably from the massive crash Jose had last month. Instead of making us buy a new chain (one shop once told me that whenever you buy a new chain, you also need to get a new cassette!), he straightened the original out. He didn't try to sell me more than I needed but made sure we had a safe and working bike. 

We need more folks looking out for one another and I truly believe that one of the easiest ways is to get them all on bikes. 

It's been an busy couple of days! Yesterday, the boys and I rode out to the park with a couple of friends. However, the entire ride was filled with whiney complaints from the second we left the door. We also ended up having to circle back home after we stopped for some food about 2.5 miles into the ride and noticed that Little Brother had lost his shoe in one of his fussy fits. Turns out, the shoe was a block away from our house so we stopped back in to get Big Brother's snow pants to keep him warm (his complaints). It was one of the most (emotionally) exhausting rides I've ever done! We weren't alone in that, however, one of our friends also ended up turning back midway because her little guy wasn't having much fun either. Of course, once we were at the park, the boys forgot all their problems and had a blast. 

Today was even more tiring fun! Ever since Big Brother was born, we've gone out to cut down our own Christmas tree. We like to have pretty quiet holidays and we're not really big on presents, however, the tree-cutting is something that we look forward to doing each year. Jose makes us all wear our lumberjack outfits (flannel). Although this year, we needed to find a new place to go since we have been driving up hwy 50, usually about an hour away. 

It was important to me that we stick to our carfree commitment. After seeing all the awesome photos of trees-by-bike by our cargo friends on Twitter and Facebook, I was inspired and determined! The closest place to us was about 15 miles away but up hwy 30, a road that leads to a casino and offers no shoulder. Drunk, depressed gamblers and no way to get away from them didn't sound very appealing. The next place was one just passed Davis called Jacob's Mini Farm. We're pretty familiar with riding to Davis and my dad's an expert with getting through Davis so that was the clear choice. Fifty plus miles sounded a little daunting, especially once we got the tree, but I'm a very stubborn person. 

Today, the weather was beautiful and perfect for our ride. Jose and I were a bit slower with our start than we had planned. There was a lot of running around and reorganizing. Did we need thermals, snow pants, extra anything? Did we have snacks, water? Everyone have a potty break? Our friends, the Oldens, were somehow crazy enough to agree to come with us so double the amount of chaos that we usually have with just our two kiddos. 

Having the two big kids on the Mundo was great! They were so much fun to have chattering away behind me. It was comforting to me to test out riding like this and knowing that the Mundo would continue to work out as the kids got older. Heck, we could even add one more to the mix! 

We had a good amount of kid-swapping during the day and more potty/snack/rest stops than we could have planned. 

The ride was good and we rolled along smoothly. By Davis, however, we realized that there was no way we'd get back before dark. We ran through all the options and settled on going to get our trees (we had come this far already!) and then use Amtrak to get those without lights home quicker. Since we all felt happy with that option, we continued our way through Davis to the tree farm. The entire way, except for the last mile, was on Davis's fantastic separated bike path. 

Jacob's Mini Farm was the perfect respite. We all got a chance to walk around and get our yayas out. They had a barn with donkeys, sheep, goats, and chickens. The kids (and Jose) even got to feed them! We found a lovely little tree and so did the Oldens. My dad decided to wait on getting a tree because he was worried about me having to carry them all (or maybe because he didn't think he could find a tree good enough for my mom). 

We were all pretty exhausted but the time we got back into Davis. A headwind had picked up and the 40 previous miles were settling in. Darkness was looming and the dreaded Causeway is never something to look forward to. The Oldens decided to hop on Amtrak since they didn't really have adequate lights for the long ride in the dark. I should also mention that Jose had to ride in a single gear (a low one at that) because his chain was still skipping from the big crash he had earlier. He hadn't ridden this bike since and probably shouldn't have today but it was the only one that could carry the trailer without running out of battery. 

Jose, my dad, and I decided to keep going. I would never have been allowed on Amtrak anyway with my Mundo and especially with the trees. 

The sun went down and by the time we were back on the Causeway, it was dark. The boys were losing it. It began to get cold quickly. 

Finally, we made our way into West Sacramento and almost into Sacramento but my dad decided to get a flat. Jerk. Luckily, Jose relinquished his phone to the boys which kept them cheerily satiated until we got home. One broken tire lever, a few swear words, and enough time to begin to freeze (by the way, the boys were happily in their own little greenhouse of a trailer. Even pants-less Little Brother was toasty) but eventually, we were back on the road. 

All in all, this trip was amazing! Exhausting, but exhilarating, too. Now, every time we look at our Christmas tree, we'll have great memories and a great story that goes along with it. I really want our holidays to be about experiences, not about stuff. Spending time with our friends and family is just we need. Thank you all for sharing in our newest holiday tradition. 

I love the rain and the colder weather! I especially love biking in the chilly mornings and even more after dark. My mom always says "make sure you're lit up like a Christmas tree!" I take things very literally. 

This week has been so much fun. Although it was quiet at the shop, the bosses were of holding their title of one of the elite top Pedego dealers. I had the store to myself. 

(That was actually my lunch break. I was working really hard, promise, Tim!). The weather finally started clearing up today and the streets dried out again. 

This week, I also tried my hand at a little crafty project I saw online. I'd never used a chain-breaker but now I'm a total pro. It was pretty awesome to get my hands dirty and have these little guys turn out so cool. 

I think I've mentioned it once or twice but I really love biking. This week, most of our mornings looked like this: 

I would then leave the trailer at the boys' daycare provider and Jose would later jog over with the dog and run them back home (the jogging attachment was stored in the back pocket). Jose loves jogging so it's win-win! 

I can't wait for our exciting Christmas tree adventures this weekend but until then, this day-to-day stuff is keeping me blissfully happy. 

Today was a rare day that the kids had day care and I actually had the day off! I took full advantage of my freedom by doing as many things on my list that I could--free from the squirmy little guys. 

My first stop after dumping the boys, was to finally deliver a bunch of odds and ends to my mom--her tires that she left at Practical Cycle, a huge bag of yarn since she's gotten back into knitting, and a big stack of dinosaur books from the library that she and Big Brother checked out. You'll notice that I swapped out our old blue pannier set with my trusty milk crate and brand new Baguette (a half-sized Go-Getter bag from Yuba). This was its first real test and I'm already in love with it! That baby is a monster! Unfortunately, however, I do have to move the Peanut Shell again to make room for it. I had moved the seat up on the deck because Little Brother's weight was making it pretty tippy. Any time he fussed and wiggled, it would almost pitch the bike over. We'll be going back to that set up now and just have to stay extra vigilant about keeping him still. 

Next, I unloaded everything at my mom's house and together, she and I rode to Ikea! Breakfast and shopping! Again, I didn't worry once about the load thanks to my amazing bike! My mom forgot her panniers so I ended up with everything. Too bad it wasn't anything exciting like a Malm or Hemnes. 

On our way back, we stopped at Practical Cycle to replace my Planet Bike Superflash that fell off yesterday while riding and then Ace Hardware to look for battery-powered Christmas lights. No lights but I did schlep home the curtain rods my mom needed. 

Finally, just because I had a few extra hours before the kids needed to be picked up, I decided to go back home to pick up my sewing machine so my mom could teach me how to use it. We have tons of fun sewing ideas, starting with Christmas stockings for my boys. 

I was a little worried about the stability because the sewing machine was balancing on the milk crate. I would have felt better if it was strapped directly on the side-loader, but it held the whole way back to my mom's. I was pretty proud of my Mundo-skills! 

We managed to have plenty of time to figure out the machine and get some work done. Picking up the boys at dusk was lots of fun. They were super excited to head home and chatted the whole way. I was really happy to have my Superflash back. I can't wait to get extra lights when the Christmas strands come in. Be sure to check out the #ChristmasFeats hashtag on Twitter for lots of cargo bike Christmas hauling! 

We decided against riding our bikes today and instead, did all our errands by foot as a family. We luckily stopped for frozen yogurt right as the rain decided to dump down, two hours earlier than expected. It was a beautiful afternoon! 

As we bundled up to head home, I stashed my phone in the trailer with the boys so it would stay dry. As the rain cleared, I opened the cover back up. What I didn't notice was the Big Brother decided to take a few photos along the way. 

Here is the world from his perspective: 

There is so much to see when you get out of your car. Sometimes it's even nice to slow down even more than biking speed. We all agreed that this was the perfect adventure for today.