Chilly Mornings

I always feel a little silly when people ask how we're going to ride through Winter. For goodness sakes, it's Sacramento, not Michigan! I don't have to wear a balaclava or add bike spikes to my tires. The worst things we have to get through are fog and frost (maybe a little wind, some rain here or there, etc.). Granted, I do feel pretty darn proud every time we get out of the house and onto our bikes in less than comfy weather. I will admit that it's more of a challenge these days with the extra layers and accessories. The struggles of shoving a wriggling toddler into a snowsuit that had the brilliant idea of coming in two extra difficult layers. It's like a wrestling match! I consider any morning that we manage to bike without the whiney "I'm cooooooold!" complaint from the back a success. 

Chilly week ahead!

I did feel silly ordering the snowsuits last fall and although we haven't used them very often, I think they were the perfect option for mornings like these. Today, Big Brother had on three or four long-sleeved shirts, fleece lined pants, snow bibs, two sets of socks, and my fleece. Little Brother (yes, he's screaming in the photo but it's just because I covered his hands and he still wanted to eat) is wearing three shirts, a pair of sweatpants, socks, and his snowsuit that has a separate fleece layer. I tried to keep his hands covered (he doesn't like mittens) but his screaming won and I opened them back up, showing him how to keep his hands tucked into the sleeves. 

Neither one complained! 

My toes however...brrrrr! 

By the way, in case you're wondering, I was wearing wool socks (not enough!), leggings, jeans, two layers of warm base layer shirts, my jacket, scarf, and wind-resistant gloves. I would have changed the shoes that i was wearing (Mary Jane Keens) to something warmer but I had finally gotten Little Brother into his suit and didn't want to have to put him down to tie my shoes. My fingers were also still cold, I should have added a warm layer to my gloves.