#everydayonabike in June/July

The past two months have zoomed past. In less than a month, school will be back in session and summer will be over.

I've been riding everyday - or almost everyday, as usual. It's been more challenging in the summertime due to travel around the Midwest and western Colorado. And I've been forgetting to take pictures. But a bunch of awesome people have been filling in the holes! It's been so much fun to see everyone's biking pictures over the past seven months. In fact, the #everdayonabike tag now has 415 photos of people on bikes. That's right, we've collected far over 365 photos in a far less than a year. Now I'm wondering if we can collect 800 photos by December this year?!?

I didn't include all of the photos from the past two months. But I did include the highlights:

Making my first Target run by bike (7 miles one way) // Benny's last day of school

Getting prepped for a wedding weekend // Riding in Calgary

A hot, sweaty ride in 100-degree weather // Our first picnic in the park

Jazz in the park on a stormy evening // Riding with a friend in Iowa

Enjoying a kid-free few days // Noticing a fountain for the first time // Making my first grocery run

Enjoying an evening ride // Getting my riding buddy back // Our first visit to the Little Free Library

Benny's birthday extravaganza // Running important errands

Looking at all these pictures is a reminder of how great summer has been! Here are the impressive two-month stats:

115 photos posted // 15 contributors // 35 posted by me // 198 miles (recorded - I think there were more)

And thanks so much to everyone who played along!

@simplybike // @jentown // @bemorelocal // @elissabrodt // @shaggybrownie

amaksymo // @murawski21 // @runbobbierun // @cathope // @ashleynicoleaddison

@thepiripilexicon // @bicyclesinnewcastle // @obc_benson // @timaides // katiesnider

Celebrating Six

As I've written before, we aren't a family that throws big birthday parties. Mostly because I'm not the greatest at organizing them. But positive outcomes come with hosting small parties including less money spent on the actual party, being able to talk with all the guests, less gifts to deal with and happier kids (especially my kids who don't like a lot of crazy activity).

For Benny's party this year, I wanted to something small but big, if that makes sense. A small party with fun, inexpensive activities. I also wanted to incorporate a bike ride since most of Benny's friends ride now. Here's what we came up with - a Progressive Birthday Party Extravaganza by Bike.

1. The four of us rode to the local park with all the fixings for a party - sandwiches, juice boxes, cupcakes and balloons.
2. Four of Benny's friends and their parents met us there. They all rode their bikes.
3. The kids played and participated in a quick scavenger hunt (they had to find things in the park - like a rock, squirrel, sand, etc., but the kicker was that they had to read the words).
4. After eating and singing "Happy Birthday," we rode in a big group back to our house.
5. The kids enjoyed a movie in the yard (Hotel Frankenstein) while the adults enjoyed some conversation time on the deck.
6. The adults went home after the movie and the kids stuck around for a sleepover.
7. When the kids woke up (early!) they dined on chocolate chip pancakes.
8. Benny and I rode everyone home  after breakfast, carting their sleeping bags and clothes home in the Burley.

The party was just what I wanted - small but big. What's more, when I posted to the neighborhood Facebook page that I was planning a movie party for my six-year-old, but didn't have the necessary accessories for such a party, a handful of neighbors responded. One loaned me his 10-ft. outdoor movie screen and another had her husband bring home a projector from work.

When I asked Benny what his favorite parts of the party were, he answered: 1) scavenger hunt, 2) movie and 3) having a sleepover. And the most expensive thing about the whole party: Seven helium balloons.

Happy sixth birthday, Mr. Bear!

My Free Week

Last week I was kid-free, husband-free and car-free. For seven days. In my own house. It was such a strange break from reality. But a welcome one. The Volvo is on the fritz again and Nate had the other car all week. I could have had the Volvo fixed, but figured I could make it the week without it. I was right.

I kept myself busy - seeing friends, working, prepping my summer class, reading and running. On some level, I'm sure I remember the lazy days of not having kids. No wonder I could train for marathons and half-marathons and go backpacking and travel. No wonder I don't ever remember cleaning as much as I do now. Because it wasn't necessary.

Seven days is the longest I've been away from either kid. The thought of being away from them for so long was daunting at first. I even cried when we drove away from Nate's dad's house. But, Nate and I got to spend two kid-free nights together, which was a treat in and of itself.

This week was a nice reminder of the importance of balance in life. It's never good to focus too much energy on one thing because another thing will get forgotten. By the end of the week, I was more than ready to have my family back. But having time to myself was wonderful experience too.