Biking Without our Trailer

Brent fashioned some totes to the cargo bike yesterday for groceries. We hauled the trailer out on Saturday for all our gear, but today I was stumped.

Brent left two bikes at school this morning so I could pick up the children with the cargo bike and Elliot and London could ride home independently. I gave a few thoughts to how I was going to haul snacks, diaper bag, waters, tools and anything else. I initially thought it would just go in the back pack, but then it rained and looked like more rain was coming. My list of things to bring was growing. I had a towel, extra rain coats for those who forgot them, and extra snacks in case we got stuck at school in addition to everything mentioned previously. My backpack was bulging and the lunch box and Avery's forgotten helmet didn't fit. I considered strapping the totes on, but I couldn't figure out how to work the belt clamps with Oliver running a muck in our disastrous garage. I loaded everything into the trailer, as it's the perfect wagon, but our current hitch didn't fit on the Yuba Mundo because the frame is larger than other bikes. Frustration leads to inspiration and in this case I solved my problem creatively. I strapped the backpack to the deck of the bike with bungee cords and used the helmet straps to secure the lunch tote to the rear of the child seat.

These are problems I enjoy solving.

Miles Walked: 0	Biked: 19.2	Bused: 0	Drove: 4	This week
53.7	392.2	12.6	551.2	Since August 14, 2011

Phoenix on a Budget

 The sister's three, Shannon, Sara and me. Yes, that's the new get up I purchases at the Velvet Owl last week.

Planning for a trip to Phoenix for my sister Sara's wedding was agonizing because I wasn't sure we would have the money to go. I fretted constantly about putting all the trip expenses on the credit card because it was my sister's wedding and who wouldn't look back on missing that event and think, it was only X dollars, I should have just gone?  Yet, I take after my father more than anyone, and if you can't afford it, then you don't do it and don't buy it. I don't always make this decision, but the principle is strong and I work hard to abide. The pressure was heavy from my sister to make an appearance, and bringing the whole family would have been great but we compromised with just me taking the trip.

All those money saving things we do are great, but typically we are still left living pay check to pay check. Several additional and beneficial things have occurred over the summer that have made the purse strings a bit more loose around here. Brent took on many extra contracts and has been grossing the equivalent of a double salary paycheck for a couple months, and we expect it to continue for a few more. Since we had the extra funds, we paid off the van at the end of July, thus reducing our auto expenses in terms of payment and insurance. We increased our auto fuel savings by not driving our van in August and have maintained a very reduced mileage for September. We gave away our second vehicle last month, also reducing our insurance obligation. London choose not to continue swim team this year and opted for the free fencing practices instead. All of these measures have contributed to about $650 in monthly savings, not including the extra income.

We are guilty of spending the dollars we see in our bank account. I took the breathing room we have been fortuneate to have as an opportunity to catch up on some wants and needs. There were the two bike purchases, Brent's GT and our Yuba Mundo, then there was the trip to Phoenix. Just because I had the money didn't mean I was crazy with it. My trip this past week was frugal, but not stingy. I certainly could have done a better job with my spending, but I was trying to relax a little and enjoy myself.

The expense break down

Summary and Explaination

• $300--Airline ticket (not shown because it was purchases weeks ago)
• $46.84--clothing
• $136.24--food

 The larger food expenses were when I was buying a meal or coffees for everyone because they bought meals and coffees for me. We just shared the expenses and kept it as even as we could. My sister fronted the gas for her car and I slept on her couch. I could have done without the new outfit for the wedding, but I needed those flip flops from Walgreens if I didn't want to bandage my bleeding feet. My sister's new in laws treated us to homemade dinners twice and I will be sending them a thank you gift. I really think I was able to make a seven day trip affordable because of the generosity of others time, space and resources which I always return eagerly.

All the touristy things we did were free, or we did things that were around meals and family, so the expenses were ones we might have had anyway, were we not "sight seeing." I will be putting up a full post of pictures from my actual adventure later, but you can see some here, here, here, and here from the past week.

Before leaving Huntington we did take the whole family out for dinner, at Griffith and Feil's in Kenova. I didn't include this expense, but we had a wonderful time. I also packed a homemade granola trail mix, banana, sandwich and empty water bottle so I didn't purchase anything in transit.

I traveled light, thus eliminating the need to check any bags. My sister let me use all her soaps and shampoos and sunscreens. She even gave me a razor.

I ended up leaving the book, as it wasn't my sister's after all. I didn't bring the plain brown dress either. I opted to wear the yellow 1/4zip to the airport to save more space, and I added my bike helmet.

It all fit, and room for more.

Returning from Phoenix I bought trail mix, an apple and banana at the grocery the night before and refused to purchase anything in transit, although I was very hungry. Seeing a bottle of water for $2.25 and a small sandwich for $6.50 was an instant appetite suppressant. I made do with what I packed. It wouldn't hurt me to eat all the trail mix even though I desired something else.  I filled up my reusable water bottle and spent my two hour lay over in Detriot with my new book, Bike Snob. It was a gift from Sara and Micheal. I opened it up on the plane from Phoenix and didn't set it down until I finished it yesterday afternoon.

It's certainly good to be home. It is great that I still have money in the bank and I was able to open and pay all those bills waiting for my yesterday without a knot in my stomach.

How do you travel on a budget? Have any tips on how we could have taken the whole family? Something we could try next time?

Night Biking

Rear light attached to London's new helmet. She's riding my bike. Brent went with her to scouts and took all these night pictures.

Tuesdays are just busy days around here. There's the school and work thing, then there is the CSA and egg pick up and some times, like tonight, there's Girl Scouts. Going over for Girl Scouts puts us closer to Kroger, making it also a grocery night. Since autumn is approaching the sun is setting earlier. Evening activities and late nights at work require bike lights!

This was something I actually prepared for, unlike our shortage of rain gear that I have yet to fix. The children's helmets are equipped with small visibility lights. They are not bright enough for them to see where they are going, but enough to let everyone know they are there. London and Elliot's bikes have rear red lights next to their reflectors. Brent has a proper head light and tail light. As of tonight, my bike has a head light and we attached the tail light to the trailer.

In addition to these night time biking safety features, Elliot and London's bikes are also sporting bells with inaccurate compasses attached. I think we paid about a buck fifty for each bell, we didn't expect much more than noise makers. They love them. My ears do not, especially indoors, but they are highly effective for children who claim to be too shy to shout, "on your left!" to pedestrians.

We are pretty giddy about being in better compliance with the WV state law. Good stuff.

Showing off the new helmet, a Raskullz we ordered from Target.com

 Tomorrow it will be one month since I began tracking our miles, however unscientifically. We are over 300 miles we have covered without a gas powered engine! I thought that was pretty impressive for our little family. That's a tank of gas.

Miles Walked: 2	Biked: 44	Bused: 0	Drove: 13	This week
53.7	282.8	12.6	450.2	Since August 14, 2011

Feeding Six: The Meal Co-op

Three meals of cantaloupe, Waldorf chicken salad, pitas, and tabbouleh, packaged for trading.

Introduction and History
Four years ago I read a magazine article about some women who all lived on one block and took turns cooking meals for each other. One family would cook a full meal for everyone and deliver packaged warm meals to the other two families at a designated time, keeping one for their own family to enjoy. Brilliance, in my opinion.

Since most of my ideas are just modifications of others greatness, I brought this one to a friend and we discussed the options. None of my friends lived on my block. They actually lived all over the county. We devised a list of potential cooks, keeping in mind family sizes and cooking abilities. I admit we were pretty picky at first, almost snobby about who we asked, as we were concerned our great idea was going to interest everyone, but it didn't. We started with about four families and devised a plan to have everyone cook for the other three families on Sunday, package their meals and trade them on Monday morning during a play group. If you chose to cook a fourth meal for yourself, was up to you.

Our group met weekly with packaged food in reusable plastic containers with our names on them and a food label with instructions. We had an online forum to track our menus in advance and "secret" polls to offer feedback. There were lists of food preferences made and things to avoid because it wouldn't be eaten or someone was allergic. After a couple of months we opened the group up to other families and enlisted substitutes and part time swappers. Our group grew so much one year we had ten full time families so we broke into two groups based on eating habits and family size.

In the Now
As the group currently stands, we are much more relaxed. There are four families (I am the only original member left living in Huntington) who use a group on Facebook to post menus and questions. The family sizes vary greatly; ours having six, two families with four and one with three. This works well for all of us as my little four are picky and Brent and I eat a lot of our meals for lunch. The family with three does some of the same but then they have more for dinner.

I love my meal co-op. During crazy busy after school weeks, dinner is done. When I feel a bit ill/tired or Brent's working nights, dinner is done. If I decide I haven't seen my neighbors in a while or they seem super busy, dinner is done. If I am away for the evening, Brent can put dinner together and it won't be toast and spaghetti (although the children prefer this). I have been able to eat moussaka a couple of time without the labor. I have indulged in more shrimp and had several loaves of artisan bread without looking for my yeast or removing any shells. These families have me spoiled. It's also been the case that when one of our members are ill, we cook for them anyway, without anything expected in return. It's a great food community.

The Doing
Preparing for our exchange has taken some practice. I now have a great system of knowing how to batch cook and pace my dishes. I documented my cooking last weekend to help illustrate.

My menu: Waldorf chicken salad, tabbouleh and cantaloupe.

Started by boiling in my 8 quart pot, as this would take the longest to cook and cool.

Chicken cooking next to bulgar wheat soaking. The wheat for the tabbouleh would take at least an hour.

While the chicken and grains were doing their part, I diced up veggies.

I lay out all my glass containers on the counter, separated in groups of three (for each family), and add ingredients as I finish prepping them. We choose glass for the ease of reheating and baking straight in the dish we are swapping.

Tabbouleh is seasoned and drizzled and is just awaiting wheat.

I moved onto chopping grapes for the chicken salad.

Assembled straight in my swapping dishes.

Two dishes for three families (and a plastic container for the extra). Everything is dressed and ready for the last ingredients (chicken and wheat).

Adding the bulgar wheat.

Stir right in the serving dishes.

Add lids and set aside, in this case they went into my refrigerator.

Chicken was taken off the bone and skins removed, then chopped.

Added to the prepped salad bowls.

Everything is ready to go. I went with store bought pitas this week, but it's not unusual for us to trade homemade breads, naans, desserts, rolls, and more. Keeping the cantaloupes whole means they are "fresher" for the families.

Single family serving.

The Swap
A few things to note

1. We agree ahead of time on the menus, to avoid everyone making lasagnas. We choose to have one protein main course and two sides of fruits, veggies and/or grains. This group is very relaxed and sometimes our main protein course is vegetarian with grain and the sides are more veggies. How do you complain about more veggies? We love it.
2. We all purchased nine glass containers with lids. Three of those containers are large (about 11cups in volume) and six of them are medium size (about 4-6 cups in volume). We don't "own" the containers once they enter the swap. They are just evenly exchanged each week. I hand out 9 (1 large and 2 mediums to each family) and I get 9. As seen in the photo above, there are only two glass containers, as my third dish was a whole melon. I do pass an empty container and lid to this family as well, to keep the exchange even. Some weeks we are all bringing empties, so we leave with the one we brought.
3.  We transport our glass containers and meals in coolers with ice packs in the summer. They are heavy, but we are strong!
4. We used to label our meals with the contents, re-heating instructions and the cooks initials. We are bit too lazy for that now and just settle on memory or chance. I do recommend a tighter plan and labels when you first get started. If you do label, painters tape and a sharpie works the best, but do it before you refrigerate.
5. Cooking this way hasn't saved me money, nor has it cost me more. Some weeks are less expensive than others, but I am not doing it to be frugal with my dollar, but more frugal with my time. I like having my evenings with my family and not with my stove top. I like snacking a well balanced meal at lunch time instead of any old thing in a bag.

Two complete meals that are being brought to me. Note the empty container in the left stack. She made Phad Thai, thus satisfying the grain, meat, veggie requirement in one dish, and added green beans for the side. The right stack is an enchilada lasagna, re-fried beans and stewed tomatoes.

All the meals being sorted and distributed for swap.

Links
Many have blazed this trail before me, and since, and they have also said it better. If you are looking for a way to incorporate meal swapping into your life, check out these links.

• Trish Berg's PDF file on how to creat a meal swap group
• Becoming a Mama blogger post on meal swapping
• The Intentional Home blogger experience on meal swapping
• Nutrition Know How blog on swapping
• New York Times 2010 Meal Co-op Article
• New York Times 2011 Food Swap Article
• Green America's take on the subject
• Real Simple Magazine's 5 Tips on Meal Swapping
• Little House in the Suburbs broad co-op post*

 *Little House in the Suburbs talks about child care sharing as well. This is something we have done in the past, but being a family with four children now, we haven't dared to trade children often. Yet, this is a wonderful option for those on a budget!

Questions?
I love my meal co-op! I know everything is not explained well, as it wasn't really meant to be a "how to" post. Yet, if you have questions, I would love to answer them. Drop me a line or post a comment.

Daddy Daughter Date: A Vet Visit

Before I get to the daddy daughter date of today, I want to catch everyone up on a few experiences. I posted a Friday Comparison yesterday that showed us having driven 4 miles. I picked up the children and two friends after school in the van yesterday. Six children, one adult is a driving situation. 98 degrees at 3pm, could also reinforce the desire to drive. Three things happened during this short trip, the fuel light came on, there was construction traffic two blocks from school (5 minute wait), and the children had left their bikes at school in the morning and I had to get them home.

The fuel light coming on didn't phase me as it was such a short trip, but I also needed to drive the van today, so I was going to need to fix that issue. Having to sit idol had me moderately concerned, with the fuel light on, but things cleared up quickly. The parking director at school laughed that I was driving and knew about the construction. He commented that I would have made better time on my bike. He's probably right. Bringing the bikes home in the trunk worked well, until I drove the van this morning and forgot they were in there.

Today's To Dos
We were invited to a birthday party today. It was in Lavalette, which is in our neighboring Wayne County (Out Wayne, aka OW, if you are local). I had called the Wayne Express transportation company earlier this week to find out exactly which of their buses went down that road and what times, as their website was very poorly constructed and the information was sparse, but there was a map with a bus line highlighted showing the street I needed. I spoke with a lady in transportation who informed me there is now only one bus that runs five times a day, weekdays only and it would be a $1 for every rider. This bus did not go where I needed. I called our TTA and asked if they provided service to Lavalette, nope. It's not a bikeable road. So minivan it was. This was not a social engagement we wanted to miss, these were good family friends and having an able vehicle in the drive way, was our means.

Coinciding with the party we had a scheduled veterinarian check up for our two cats. This was a divide and conquer situation. Brent and London were going to go to the vet and I was going to take the boys to the party. Seeing that I was driving, Brent took the camera at my request, to document "taking cats to the vet by bike." What I didn't expect was them to turn it into a sight-seeing daddy daughter date.

I mentioned forgetting about the two bikes in the trunk of our van. We left before Brent and London and it never occurred to me they wouldn't have their bikes in the garage. When they arrived home from the vet, Brent said London rode my bike better than she normally rides her Junior Viper. There were no complaints and they had a jolly good time. Glad that worked out well. The worst that could have happened is they missed the appointment, and that's not a terrible thing.

The Date
In my mind's eye, they were going to take the cats in the trailer. Brent decided on his own they would get more fresh air on the rack. He rigged up this cat transport with some ratcheting belts. He was very careful to get them tight and check them for shifting and falling.

Stopping in Ritter Park. Coco and Kit.

 They turned the whole adventure into an opportunity to be a tourist. They stopped often for breaks and actually arrived late to the appointment. Our home thermometer read 104 degrees today, but I doubt it didn't just say that because it was melting.

London and her cats at the Memorial Arch.

They arrived at the vet without issue.

 London has been trying to learn to use the camera. She says she wants to have her photos in the newspaper some day. These next few are from her perspective.

Kit

Coco.

 Everyone made it home, safe and hot. I looked up their route on Google maps and discovered they went about 10 miles round trip. I asked Brent what the vet had to say about his mode of transporting the cats and he reports she had no issues with it what so ever. She seemed to give the impression people usually bike their cats to appointments, but somehow we both doubt this.

Yeah, my garage is on my to-do list for the week. I have been collecting things from around the house all summer for a yard sale. Soon, I keep promising myself, soon.

 I was laughing so hard when he rolled up I was sure PETA would be right behind him. It was something out of a comic book. I chuckled more when we looked up the route he took and compared it to the more direct route suggested by Google. He rode 3.6 extra miles because he couldn't remember how far down 3rd Avenue the office was.

View Larger Map
London had quality time with her dad today. She seem to smile a lot more after they arrived home, I know I was. The boys and I had a great time too. It's always refreshing to laugh with friends and family.

Miles Walked: 6	Biked: 82.9	Bused: 0	Drove: 22.3	This week
43.7	195.8	12.6	422.2	Since August 14, 2011

What we carry when we ride a bike

In the trunk of our van you might find a collection of plastic bags from the grocer and a first aid kit. There is the usual spare tire and jack set up and sometimes we haul around a battery jump. These are staple car traveling ingredients. The glove box has our insurance info, car manual, some old maps and left over napkins. I think I spotted a couple coins and a CD that need to be brought in. From fender to fender there is a miryad of child stuff; car seats, plastic checker pieces, dried up raisins, eaten lolly pops (I guess that would make them sticks), action figures, shoes, books, empty drink bottles. Then when we get ready to drive somewhere we add to the mix; diaper bag, snacks, water bottles, wallets/purses, and more child stuff.

In Our Bags
How does this compare to what we drag around on our bikes? The first change I had to make was from diaper bag to back-pack. The options with a back pack exceeded those with a shoulder bag, and ours had shorter straps. I didn't like giving up the handmade bag for the bottom of the closet bag, but it's what worked best. Function over fashion. In this bag you find the usual diaper supplies, some sunscreen and my purse with cash, cards (ID, calling, credit, library, Kroger scrip, etc) and all the rest.

Cash was also a new addition to our travel entourage. We were pretty much a card carrying family. I wrote checks when I needed too, but carrying cash wasn't needed. It is now. I haven't made it downtown to get a bus pass card (which are not reloadable), so bus fare is exact change only. Having cash has been handy, but really difficult for us to track. Dollar bills are a big temptation for Brent, then he forgets where they went. I guess I am a bit guilty of the same, but I try to keep my receipts and come home and enter things into Mint.com.

Junk in the Trailer Trunk
In the trailer we carry a reusable bag with bike supplies; tire pump and gauge, manual, locks, allen wrench set, wrench, first aid kit, bug spray, misc tools, and extra helmet padding. When the whole family goes out we carry an old plastic ice cream bucket full of water bottles. Bottles also fit on the adult bike frames and sometimes we just stuff them on the sides of the diaper back-pack. The inside pockets of the trailer, where the boys sit, have small toys.

It took some time to get our "kits" together. We were constantly leaving without something, but soon developed a system to get out the door much quicker. There are of course variation to our load depending on our destination. School days, school bags. Grocery trip, grocery bags. Work commute, laptop back pack and lunch box. Parks and play dates, extra snacks.

We know that we should probably carry more things in our bike bag. We are working on a "must have" list and hoping to stock the bags soon. We are also working on having a small kit that Brent and I can carry when we don't have the trailer. Here are a few lists and suggestions I have found on line:

• HubPages: Best Things to Carry on a Bike/Bicycle Ride--This article recommend we carry a patch kit, tire lever and a torch. I agree with the patch kit, we probably won't invest in the torch quite yet.
• Bike198: 14 Must Have Items for Every Ride--It seems this is for more competitive or trail riding, but some things overlap. I like the note about always carrying your ID. I am not a huge safety hound in our family, but I always carry my ID (in my pocket if I have any). I think it's a sense of morbidity that lingers in my mind.
• Adult Bicycling: Biking with the Family--There is a small diddy about what to pack, especially when traveling with children. It mentions being prepared for weather changes. Light jackets and rain coats went in our trailer yesterday when I saw the potential for rain. This is the second article here that lists bringing a map or GPS device. We don't have much of either, but we don't go far and most of the city is on a grid.
• Kids Can Travel: Family Cycling--More from above and the mention of sunglasses  and camera. Recently Brent was talking about his eyes hurting more after biking to work. We think this is because of the dust and air and also the sun light. There is no UV treated windshield on the bike.
• Chicargobike: What's in the family panniers for sweltering summer days?--Here's a fun blog about a set of parents and their four(?) children in Chicago, living car free. This is specific to summer and includes the good stuff, like swim suits and towels.

Helmets and Child Seats
Least I not forget to mention how important our helmets and the child seats are to us. Everyone wears a helmet, no exceptions, even those in the trailer. We have been getting by on our thift store and freebie helmets from community events for the three older children, but we are saving for upgrades. Oliver currently sports a Specialized helmet with a flat back and adjustable straps and knob in the rear. I wish I knew the proper names for some of these things, but I am learning! We selected the flat back because he sits most often in a child seat or trailer where the pointier racer backs would cause his head to tip forward uncomfortably and awkward. We also choose a regular child's helmet for longevity. They (the retail world) do sell a smaller toddler helmet, but our children have big heads and this wouldn't have been worth our investment.

We wouldn't be able to transport our children by bike without child seats. I currently use either the iBert or the Yakima trailer. The iBert has not be great for naps, but wonderful just carrying Oliver, as the center of gravity is better and he enjoys talking to me while we ride. Avery only travels in the trailer and Oliver rides with him often. There are over the shoulder harness straps in the trailer, as well mesh and rain covers. These are just a couple of the options available for carrying children on bikes, and the only ones available to us at this time.

Here are a couple links to other options  for family bike transport as described by people with a lot more experience than I:

• Totcycle: Family Biking Ages & Stages--I don't know how I found this, but I come back to it often in my bike search. There is a lot of information and good links. The whole blog is well done and informative, but this post is a great starting point.
• Kid Haven: What's Out There?: Family Biking Options--This is another similar parsing of options, written more recently. There is mention of convertible bikes and trikes.