Two Parks in a Day
Winter sick days with small kids are the pits! With the current weather situation being four seasons in one day; getting out of the house for fresh air, and getting Vitamin D on these days can be hard! Our cargo bike has certainly helped make these days a little easier and more tolerable. I wanted to share a personal experience to encourage other parents to look at bikes for getting their children around urban environments.
Last week, Little Man was a bit under the weather, but we had the rare gift of a beautiful sunny morning! I pondered what the day could look like: be cooped up at home, or not. I seized the gift of sun, and after breakfast we biked five minutes down the road for my daughter to have a play at the playground, while Little Man and I watched on, and enjoyed a fluffy. No traffic, no hassle of finding a park, and no screaming children in the back of the car (Little Man does not enjoy car rides at all). To top it all off: I got some exercise and a hot coffee!
After we got home: Little Man napped, we had lunch, and would-you-believe-it: the sun was still out! We decided to venture out again, a little further this time, and to a different park (just 15 minutes away.) The kids listened to the Frozen soundtrack and ate snacks in the cargo box while we biked along. We had the whole playground to ourselves. The kids enjoyed swinging, and sliding before we biked home again.
Sometimes I think back to before we got our bike; I recall packing everyone into the car to drive to the park was such a tedious, stressful experience. Before we arrived at the park, everyone was already exhausted from clambering in the car, and then you realise you have to do the same thing in reverse to get home. I almost certainly wouldn't have been taking the kids in the car on those miserable sick days, and most certainly would not have been going to two parks in one day. Our bike allows us to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Everyone feels fresher for fresh air and the sights seen.
Travelling by bike makes me a more present, less stressed Mum when we arrive at our destinations. My cup was full to the brim after spending this beautiful day with my babies, a day which could have quite easily been spent at home feeling sorry for ourselves.