Excellent singletrack!!
See my avatar - that was during the Cinderella Classic metric century a couple of years ago...
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Excellent singletrack!!
See my avatar - that was during the Cinderella Classic metric century a couple of years ago...
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I have an office, and my work is all appellate work so I don't have to go to court except for oral argument. But nobody ever respects the "do not disturb" sign and there is a sort of office culture of "knock and enter," without waiting to see if it's a bad time. And really it's just the interruption of billable hours that makes it so difficult. (That and the fact that we are in an ancient building where any extra electrical appliances will blow a circuit ... I would have to use a manual pump, there is no place to plug in an electric one unless I want to unplug my computer three times a day. Oh, man, I can't wait to get out of there.)
We already have our bike trailer and I just bought the jogging conversion kit and infant insert so I can use it right away even if we have to wait a year to use it on the bike. I am being realistic about the fact that I'm not going to be doing much if any riding for the next year, but I should be able to run. I'd rather ride, but I will take what I can get.
Oh, well, the plug thing is sort of a deal breaker. Hmm. I will say that I think they may have better battery models than they did 10 years ago....
What an interesting discussion! Xeney, while I see for you that working at home makes sense, just for the record, expressing milk doesn't mean pumping. I used to have a routine where I would manually express once a day at work, both breasts simultaneously and get two bottles worth in about 15 minutes. I did have a private office with a lock (you could always intall your own lock that can't be opened from the outside). I basically put two jars in my top desk drawer with two large funnels inside, bent over, thought of my baby, and did it. It did get stressful if I didn't get enough, and then I would have to wake up during the night and do it. My daughter couldn't tolerate formula so I didn't have a choice. A private office makes it a lot easier, but once I had a technician that was pumping and I let her use my office, which was good cuz it forced me into the lab. Now our university actually has rooms for nursing mothers, equipped w sofas, pumps, baby pics, etc. Times have changed.
I also had one of those baby backpacks! I also remember going to scientific meetings and visiting poster sessions with a baby on my back in my younger days.
maillotpois, every time I see that avatar I get a smile....a metric century is great, wonder how long it'll take before the boyo can go that far? Well, we'll see, we'll see. I'm ecstatic with the 20+ milers we've done, but almost can't wait to get back to regular mileage....specially since I won't be pulling the trailer against the wind anymore. :)
xeney, we started in the trailer at five months, when he could hold his head up with a helmet on. We started short til he built up strength (pretty quickly). Having pillows to sleep or rest on was a big plus for him.
My sister is a single working mom who is also going to school to become a nurse. She's now on the last of her 6 year schooling. How she does it mystifies me, but she does. Her kid is clean, well-behaved, confident and in the gifted program at her school. And with a near deadbeat dad as well. Amazing!
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take the princess here, pick her up from there. If I can squeeze a 90 min ride out it's a miracle and even then my cell is bound to go off at least once while I'm out there. (I almost never ride on the weekends)
your kids, imsho are way big enough to fend for themselves for a bit while mom goes for a nice long ride. Especially on the weekend!! And a 15 year old is way old enough to get herself around and not be dependent on mom for taxi service. Bus pass, bike, walk, carpool, there are many options to mom schlepping. So many kids these days think a mile or two walk to the store or to a friends house or to sports practice is just soooo hard.Quote:
boy is turning 13 in a few weeks and the Princess is 15.
My son managed to have all his friends on the other side of town, and I refused to drive him more than a rare occasion, so I bought him a bus pass. Sure the city bus service sucks, but then I don't have to drive. Once they have to figure out how to get themselves around, they get a chance to set their own priorities. His priority was his friends, so he got really good at using the bus.
I do not live in a major metro area, it's more suburban than urban, but we made it work.
Hint, turn the cell phone off on rides. Tell them you'll be gone 2 hours and to bring a book or some homework if their event is over before then.
my kids are currently 17 & 20 but I've been mtb riding 2-5x a week for 10 years.
Mindset is so much of it, how about calling her a soon to be independent young lady instead of a princess? Then treat her like a learning to be independent young lady, instead of a princess.
You look really young for someone with a 17 & 20 yo kids!Quote:
Originally Posted by Irulan
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Originally Posted by Irulan
Wow -
Thanks for all the tips.
Wow...reading your comments makes me realize that my momentary venting painted a picture of my children and my life that isn't entirely accurate.
by the way - I use the term Princess with deep teasing affection. She's no more a princess than any other teenage girl. She is a strong, confident, independent young woman who is travelling to France alone this summer. But - until she can drive, she still needs a lift to the library for her study group on wed(she's in the top 10 of her class) and until she can drive, she still needs to be picked up from the HS on Monday evenings (the pull out Fine Art program drops her off at 5:20pm and there is no after school bus) she still needs a lift to the local hospital on thursday afternoons (she candy stripes). She does, however, ride her bike to her local fine art classes on Tuesday afternoons (she's an amazingly talented artist). Soon I will need to drive her to her p/t job - as she is working to defray the cost of her upcoming trip.
As for the weekends - leaving them alone isn't a problem. I'm saying right now that I choose to not ride on the weekends so I can attend my son's baseball games or participate in local community events.
Thanks for all the great posts - I appreciate the feedback. I loved reading about how everyone balances their careers, their families and their passion for cycling.
I just regret painting a picture of the put upon mother.
Lady in White - I didn't get "put upon" from your post, FWIW. I did get some real innovation in terms of how you were squeezing in rides in your speare time, though! ;)
This reminds me of how a few years ago DH's son (now 22) played the lead in his high school production of "Hamlet" when he was 17. After that we sometimes referred to him as The Prince of Denmark, or simply The Young Prince. It did suit him though, as he did struggle for a while with the horrifying notion that he actually had to WORK to get many of the things he wanted. :D :D :DQuote:
Originally Posted by LadyinWhite
I was just sitting here thinking that I really should not be thinking about cycling and get back to working on my business project, but I can't resist participating in this great discussion. It is amazing that we all have such different lives and they all seem to be working pretty darn well. :)
I have just been able to fit serious cycling into my life, with the support and encouragement of my husband of 20 years, who has been able to take over our weekend baseball marathon with our 2 boys (9 and 13).
My career really helps it all work. About 10 years ago I quit my boring day job and followed my passion and eventually became a professional photographer. I shoot about 2 X a month and otherwise spend a fair ammount of time on the computer working on photos. Because I have the flexible schedule, I can ride when the kids are in school, and usually one long ride on the weekend.
And yes, my 13 year old does come up and say how proud he is that I rode 61.89 miles yesterday - that really rocks!
What Sarah said on both accounts. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois