you would be surprised that I do not blog about every bicycle ride
you would be shocked that I do not take a photo every time one of my kids gets on the bike
the frustrating part is that there are rides that I script a blog post about then do not hit PUBLISH and POST mistakenly thinking that I will eventually get around to doing a quick edit
well.. lots of these posts never make it to surface
lots of words and lots of images never make the page
right now I am going to spend a few minutes to see if I can resurrect a few posts about riding with my boys
more than just riding with them
but riding in the cold and trying to motivate them to ride in the cold
these posts are part of what a blog a diary for me
you may not enjoy reading these... but I enjoy reliving the experience both by typing them up and then also by reading them later
today...
Wednesday...
with no post school activities other than homework I thought the winter weather was nice enough that I should try to get the boys out on their bikes
Dean is pretty agreeable... while Grant can be a contrarian
so... in an effort to get the boys to do what I wanted I figured I would offer them options
MY OPTIONS
win win for me
either way they do what I want
either way I get what I want
but really ... really I would like to get the boys out on bikes
the bike is my top option!
the day prior I took the boys to the field down the block from their school
lots of kids go there after school
lots of kids go there after school every day each and every day
lots of mom's chatting as children play
my kids like to play with their friends at this park
I think it is an okay place to go occasionally
but really... it is the dead zone
I think that there is more to do than to go to this park
but when I go there... I try to bring an activity for my boys
this activity usually attracts a group of kids
thus proving that the kids are hungry for more than just playing in the park
it is playoff season... so... one day... the day prior I brought a football...
a small K2 size football
I lead some catch and then started some 500
the boys loved it
the boys all also got very dirty very very dirty... which they had mixed feelings about
on this day prior Grant was into football for a while...
but by the time 500 came along... six year old Grant had had enough and the game moved to a fourth grade and up level of play... leaving the munchkins to run off to the swings
this had me thinking I would give the boys two options; football at the park or bikes
Grant would refuse the football at the park option which would have him falling right into my trap to ride the bike
well... before I could even propose my urban bike ride from our home in Mount Pleasant to Target in Columbia Hights to get a list of things I displayed the football caked in dried mud and got all sorts of enthusiasm about football from young Grant
Grant agreed to play football at Macomb Park
then a number of boys who had played catch and 500 the day prior mobbed around... each displaying interest in playing catch again
so... we all marched down together ahead of their parents and siblings
never having to ask Dean for his opinion... because he is usually agreeable... and well... I had already won over the tough to sway Grant
at the park Grant turned to me and said... I am not playing football
I had been played
Grant just wanted to go to Macomb Park
never for a second was Grant interested in playing football
so... we hung out at the park I threw the ball with the older boys then started a game of 500
then the boys played 500 without parental supervision
then the focus moved on to floor hockey on the basketball court
I chatted with some parents before leading our migration towards home
part of the football option involved going to the grocery store
initially I had thought I would drive the car but as we drove towards the store I realized we still had enough light to ride the bikes
Grant objected
there was a little back and forth
I held to my logic that he had to ride his bike to the store because he did not play football at the park as had been agreed
that made sense to him
although he was not happy about it
wanting to beat the falling sun I got into Dagwood Bumstead mode and started running about the house
getting the boys as excited as I was
without any argument we were all outside with bicycle helmets on our heads and gloves on our hands
all we needed to do was to take the bikes out of the garage and pedal up the alley and then down the street
it tickled me although my "bait and switch" did not work
I had still managed to get the boys on the bike
win win and
I was right... Grant did not want to play football
so my initial premise of him not wanting that selection should have worked
but instead... Grant consciously or unconsciously manipulated the situation such that he got to play at the park with his buddy Gareth after promising to play football with me
Dean, Grant, and I were on the bikes
we weaved our way through Mount Pleasant several city blocks until we crossed over into Columbia Heights
on Monroe Street we held our ground
even at a six year old's off season pace we moved fast enough that the cars chasing us had to slow down enough for the speed bumps
we stayed ahead
at Target I was let down
I was unable to find that MENTOS device to assist Dean's science project
and... TARGET did not have any kid's hats or gloves...
ZERO HATS OR GLOVES!
go figure!
there was everything we would need to make tacos that evening each of us had a backpack which was amazingly just enough room for all the stuff we bought but a bakfiet or even a bob trailer would have assisted things nicely
a half gallon of Chocolate Milk?
sure if you can fit it in your backpack
a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream?
sure... but you have to carry it
my guestimation on filling the bags was dangerously close to overload
Dean carried the lion's share of the groceries
somehow my bag got filled with bread!
we rode home still having to do our homework!
hopefully some lessons learned
hopefully this is another planted seed
teaching my children to be less dependent upon the
teaching my kids that it is not too cold to ride the bike
you would be shocked that I do not take a photo every time one of my kids gets on the bike
the frustrating part is that there are rides that I script a blog post about then do not hit PUBLISH and POST mistakenly thinking that I will eventually get around to doing a quick edit
well.. lots of these posts never make it to surface
lots of words and lots of images never make the page
right now I am going to spend a few minutes to see if I can resurrect a few posts about riding with my boys
more than just riding with them
but riding in the cold and trying to motivate them to ride in the cold
these posts are part of what a blog a diary for me
you may not enjoy reading these... but I enjoy reliving the experience both by typing them up and then also by reading them later
today...
Wednesday...
with no post school activities other than homework I thought the winter weather was nice enough that I should try to get the boys out on their bikes
Dean is pretty agreeable... while Grant can be a contrarian
so... in an effort to get the boys to do what I wanted I figured I would offer them options
MY OPTIONS
win win for me
either way they do what I want
either way I get what I want
but really ... really I would like to get the boys out on bikes
the bike is my top option!
the day prior I took the boys to the field down the block from their school
lots of kids go there after school
lots of kids go there after school every day each and every day
lots of mom's chatting as children play
my kids like to play with their friends at this park
I think it is an okay place to go occasionally
but really... it is the dead zone
I think that there is more to do than to go to this park
but when I go there... I try to bring an activity for my boys
this activity usually attracts a group of kids
thus proving that the kids are hungry for more than just playing in the park
it is playoff season... so... one day... the day prior I brought a football...
a small K2 size football
I lead some catch and then started some 500
the boys loved it
the boys all also got very dirty very very dirty... which they had mixed feelings about
on this day prior Grant was into football for a while...
but by the time 500 came along... six year old Grant had had enough and the game moved to a fourth grade and up level of play... leaving the munchkins to run off to the swings
this had me thinking I would give the boys two options; football at the park or bikes
Grant would refuse the football at the park option which would have him falling right into my trap to ride the bike
well... before I could even propose my urban bike ride from our home in Mount Pleasant to Target in Columbia Hights to get a list of things I displayed the football caked in dried mud and got all sorts of enthusiasm about football from young Grant
Grant agreed to play football at Macomb Park
then a number of boys who had played catch and 500 the day prior mobbed around... each displaying interest in playing catch again
so... we all marched down together ahead of their parents and siblings
never having to ask Dean for his opinion... because he is usually agreeable... and well... I had already won over the tough to sway Grant
at the park Grant turned to me and said... I am not playing football
I had been played
Grant just wanted to go to Macomb Park
never for a second was Grant interested in playing football
so... we hung out at the park I threw the ball with the older boys then started a game of 500
then the boys played 500 without parental supervision
then the focus moved on to floor hockey on the basketball court
I chatted with some parents before leading our migration towards home
part of the football option involved going to the grocery store
initially I had thought I would drive the car but as we drove towards the store I realized we still had enough light to ride the bikes
Grant objected
there was a little back and forth
I held to my logic that he had to ride his bike to the store because he did not play football at the park as had been agreed
that made sense to him
although he was not happy about it
wanting to beat the falling sun I got into Dagwood Bumstead mode and started running about the house
getting the boys as excited as I was
without any argument we were all outside with bicycle helmets on our heads and gloves on our hands
all we needed to do was to take the bikes out of the garage and pedal up the alley and then down the street
it tickled me although my "bait and switch" did not work
I had still managed to get the boys on the bike
win win and
I was right... Grant did not want to play football
so my initial premise of him not wanting that selection should have worked
but instead... Grant consciously or unconsciously manipulated the situation such that he got to play at the park with his buddy Gareth after promising to play football with me
Dean, Grant, and I were on the bikes
we weaved our way through Mount Pleasant several city blocks until we crossed over into Columbia Heights
on Monroe Street we held our ground
even at a six year old's off season pace we moved fast enough that the cars chasing us had to slow down enough for the speed bumps
we stayed ahead
at Target I was let down
I was unable to find that MENTOS device to assist Dean's science project
and... TARGET did not have any kid's hats or gloves...
ZERO HATS OR GLOVES!
go figure!
there was everything we would need to make tacos that evening each of us had a backpack which was amazingly just enough room for all the stuff we bought but a bakfiet or even a bob trailer would have assisted things nicely
a half gallon of Chocolate Milk?
sure if you can fit it in your backpack
a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream?
sure... but you have to carry it
my guestimation on filling the bags was dangerously close to overload
Dean carried the lion's share of the groceries
somehow my bag got filled with bread!
we rode home still having to do our homework!
hopefully some lessons learned
hopefully this is another planted seed
teaching my children to be less dependent upon the
teaching my kids that it is not too cold to ride the bike