The Challenge

30 Days of Biking is a project designed to get people riding their bike every day throughout April. Let me preface this by telling you that I DO know how to ride a bike and have been happily riding for the past 30 odd years – until now….. Now, I have a new gorgeous road bike – with those stupid pedals that clip your feet to them and don’t come off or go on easily, do you have these? I think I have met my kryptonite!

Status update.

Day one: I fell off

Day two: I fell off

Reflections on the start of my journey.

• not sure I’m going to make a very good roadie – unless being a roadie involves lying on the road.
• I don’t think I quite have the hang of clipless pedals.
• I could potentially get a ride with Euskaltel – I do a good bleeding carrot!
• To explain my appearance and save further humiliation I’ve told friends my husband beats me.
• my son is now giving me tips on how to ride a bike.

Future plans

Day 3: don’t fall off. If this can not be achieved please ensure falls are in a secluded place i.e. not in front of the local coffee shop

Day 4: repeat

In the meantime I have renamed this challenge 30 Days of Crashes….

Are you doing the 30 Days of Biking? Do you ride a road bike? Tell me, is it going to get any better?!

To catch you up – yesterday I lost my iPhone. Now, if you know me then you know that I have a very close relationship with my iPhone. I have been known to refer to it as my third child. I love it. As you can tell I’m still speaking in the current tense as I’m not yet ready to cut the ties in spite of knowing it’s not coming back. I predict the seven stages of grief to come. I’m still hanging out in 1) shock and denial and 2) pain and guilt at the moment.

Anyhoo today I thought we’d concentrate on the aftermath…..

A lot of the time at home when we talk to the kids about the predictable number of electronic gadgets that live in our house  we say things like ‘be careful’, ‘be gentle it’ll break and we can’t afford to replace it!’, ‘that’s expensive and if it breaks you’re not getting another one’, ‘don’t drop it or once it’s gone – it’s gone’ etc

I think about how I would feel if our 6 year old lost his Nintendo DS – as of yesterday he would have been in big trouble and I would have refused to buy him another so that he could ‘learn the value of things’ and ‘learn to be more careful and responsible with his things’. But what would that really teach him? Does he not already value his things? I think that kids (for the most part) really do. The truth is that I lose things ALL the time. I lost my wallet a couple of weeks ago and cancelled all the cards before finding it in the glove box of the car. I rarely know where my sunglasses are and it’s a good thing that we have two sets of car keys as I only ever know where one is. I value all of these things and still lose them, often. And, in spite of all of my clearly obvious short comings, I get upset at my son (who’s only 6 and still learning) if he comes home without his school hat or his lunch box.

Yesterday when Miles discovered that I lost my phone he asked if I’d get another one – I explained that they were very expensive and we had to see. I also added that mummy just can’t get a new thing every time that she loses one. Miles immediately offered me all of the money in his piggy bank to get me another one. All of it. Everything he’d saved, for me. Not because he needed to but because he wanted to make things better. He didn’t judge me for losing the phone. He didn’t make me feel guilty or call me names like silly, or scatterbrained and didn’t ask for anything in return. When I said thank you but it wouldn’t be enough he started working on dad to pool money with him so that they could get enough together. It showed an amazing generosity of spirit and an empathy that I can only dream of.

I thought back to what I’d do if he lost his DS and I took a really hard look at myself. I thought about how terrible and stupid and embarrassed I feel right now, having lost my phone, without anyone making me feel so. I thought about how Miles might feel if he lost his DS, not just because he didn’t have it but also because he’d have to tell us and fear the repercussions. Now, I just hope that no matter what Miles ever loses or accidentally breaks I have the courage to remember this moment and be a bigger person – to give him a hug and tell him it’s ok, it’s just ‘things’ and we all lose and break ‘things’ sometimes then I hope that I open my wallet and offer him  my money to put with his and replace it, even if we can just put together a plan to get another. I hope I can do it because I want to be more like him.

Have you seen The Muppets yet?

We have.

Twice.

Personal nomination for film of the year – already…….

Given all of the negative media around cycling lately – (Thanks Miranda Divine and Shane Warne!). I thought I’d contribute to the positive.

Our little 6yr old boy had his first criterium race last week at Balmoral Cycling Club. He had the biggest smile on his face that I’ve ever seen! Here are some pics to enjoy

don’t go to movieworld. it is shit. 

unless……

you want to stand in lines – lots of them, for a long time (everyone’s secret to do list I know)

if you’re lucky, when you get near the front (wait is only about 75mins) the ride may break down. 

They do that – a lot. Most of them…..

While waiting you have lots of think time – you could work out that if you went on 6 adult rides you could line up for approximately 8 hours for a total of maximum 30mins of ride time. Value? Sure!

It’s ok though, because when you’re hungry you could buy a dagwood dog

don’t worry they won’t burn you, they’re not hot.

Hunger vs Salmonella……. toss that coin and take a chance baby, after all you’re on holiday!

Later you could get an ice cream, just in case you’re still hungry after the dagwood dog episode…. unless you want anything that’s not a calippo (clearly the unpopular choice)….

or a water, when you run out – because it’s hot. After all it is Queensland which is why you brought some. Take lots of money. Water is expensive, after all it is precious I agree. But you can refill the lemonade cups, if you line up…..hmmmm…..

Really it’s ok – cause the tickets were essentially free as you have a FUN PASS.

Guess it’s called a FUN pass because you have FUN?

Luckily the kids still think so……..

P.S. go to Sea World instead. Take your food though – and water

Old news around here that our kids are for the most part sugar free – particularly our 4yr old so her daycare has a few challenges, one is cooking. Luckily they came up with this gem for a cooking day, which I have taken and owned. It’s easy, kids can get involved, they’re healthy and they taste great!

so here it is for you…….

Cheesymite scrolls

Makes 16

Prep 10 mins

Cook 20 mins

2 cups self-raising flour

30g butter, chopped

3/4 cup grated tasty cheese

1 cup milk

1-2 tablespoons vegemite, or to taste

1. Preheat oven to hot, 200 degrees celsius. Lightly grease an oven tray.

2. Sift flour into a bowl. Using fingertips rub in butter. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.

3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in milk. Using a bread and butter knife, mix quickly to a soft sticky dough.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently, then press out to a rectangle about 5mm thick, long side facing you.

5. Using a spatula, spread Vegemite completely over dough. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.

6. Roll dough up like a swiss roll. Slice into 1.5cm slices. Arrange cut-side up on tray in a circle or other shape, slightly overlapping.

7. Bake 15 – 20 mins, until base sounds hollow when tapped. Cool slightly and serve.