a race and a bike train

I’ve been in a coding coma for the last two weeks. As soon as the boys go down for their nap, I pull out the laptop, press play on Buffy, and type code till my fingers don’t know which keys are which anymore. The same thing happens with every other spare moment I’ve had. My garden is being neglected, I haven’t read a blog post in over a week, and the kids’ winter stuff still hasn’t been put away.

It’s funny how design works comes to me. I never have just one site going. I either have none, or five. It’s a little crazy, but also awesome.

The three younger kids and I took a break yesterday from playing and coding to watch Kaylie in her school’s 5K running race. Kaylie had been reminding us about this race every five minutes for the last couple days. She is running in the Bridge City Boogie on Sunday, and this was a practice race for that.

You may be aware of my hatred for driving in the city of Saskatoon. I’ll do anything to avoid it. So, I put together the bike train so the kids and I could bike rather than drive to the race.

The great thing about spending five years working in a bike shop is that I know a few tricks. Like putting a Chariot behind a Trail-a-bike behind a mountain bike. Mike (the former owner/my former boss) did this with his kids, and I followed suit when Liliana was big enough to wear a helmet. I’ll tell you one thing: it is a GREAT workout. I felt like dying when we got to our race-watching spot. Pulling two 30-lb kids and one 45-lb kid plus the weight of their trailer and bike is not easy.

I don’t actually have a bike, I’ve been riding Noah’s for the last five years. I need my own, though, because his is way too big for me and my shoulders and back ache after riding it. I bought him a bike before I left the bike shop, but didn’t buy myself one, I don’t know why. I used to have a bike, and it was awesome, but it was a gift from an ex-boyfriend and I had to get rid of it for sanity’s sake. I think I need to trade Noah’s bike in for a bike for myself, though, because he never rides it. (Also because he told me to do so.)

When we finally got to our watching spot, my legs were dead. Apparently running and biking use completely different muscles, because I felt completely weak going up the few tiny hills on our route. The kids loved it, though. Liliana told me many times how biking is the best thing ever, and the boys were silent the entire time, which I took to mean they liked it.

Liliana also had many opinions about my speed on the hills. “Mama! Why are you going so slow? Why does it feel like you’re stopping?! Mama! Go faster! MAMA!”

I sat on the grass while the kids ran around, waiting for Kaylie to run by. Liliana was very excited when the first couple runners went by, and soon enough her big sister was in her sights and she was a cheering machine.

Kaylie and her friend were among the first runners we saw. When I picked her up after school, she said she placed 6th out of all the girls, and 17th overall with a time of 36:23. She’s almost faster than I am.

Since the race started at nap time, we didn’t stick around to watch more runners. The trip home did not go smoothly. My already-dead legs were suffering, my shoulders were aching, and Preston screamed most of the way because Kesler had fallen asleep and his head was resting on Preston’s shoulder. Kesler is the kind of kid who almost always falls asleep in the van and nothing will wake him up. (Preston is the exact opposite.) I kept stopping to put Kesler’s head to the other side, but it inevitably kept ending up on Preston, and so Preston screamed.

It was super fun. Especially on the hills.

Liliana loved it, though. (Minus the screaming, which totally stresses her out.) I am glad we biked, but I think next time we’ll drive if it’s close to nap time, and I need to get myself a bike that fits me so I don’t die on the next ride. I love the difference a year makes in the boys’ understanding of wearing helmets. A year ago they FREAKED when I put helmets on them. This year they LOVE their helmets.

After dinner I took Kaylie to the barbeque I help with on Thursdays. I figured it would give her some community service experience as well as a bit of perspective, and open her eyes to the fact that not all people/kids get dinner every night, nor do they have a safe, warm, clean place to sleep every night. She loved it and already asked to come with me next week.

Some days having a preteen girl is the most stressful, frustrating thing on the planet. And some days, like yesterday, it’s pretty rad. I’m pretty proud of that kid.