Shopping by Bike

I do more than half my grocery shopping by bike. I smile and wave at my neighbors as I go. On the way home, I just smile. The full basket requires a bit more concentration, especially in traffic.

I'm pretty sure some of the other moms in my neighborhood think I'm nuts. I've been asked a few questions:
How can you carry enough?
Aren't you worried about traffic?
I wish I had the time to do something like that. (Technically, not a question.)
How much stuff can you really carry?

I've talked about the time issue before. It really takes me the exact amount of time it does to shop by car as by bike. Less, if the bike saves me time in a very crowded parking lot. Plus, I get to double up my normal errands with a bit of exercise and save even more time. Now that it's summer break, my 14 year old gets to rack up a little bit of babysitting earnings, and I get 30 minutes to maintain (or restore) my sanity.

As for how much I can carry, here's Tuesday's groceries. We'd just arrived home from vacation, so I was picking up only a few essentials. Just the one bag, in my basket. The Trader Joe's bag wasn't even completely full.
Dozen eggs, quart of milk, 6-pack of yogurt, sliced apples, strawberries, sugar snap peas, bananas, basmati rice, loaf of whole wheat bread, canister of coffee beans, protein shake (for saturday ride), lavender shampoo, and a bag of frozen corn.


Today, I needed my backpack to hold a few things, in addition to the bag, but here's the haul:

TJ Bag (in bike basket):
Vanilla ice cream, 4-pack ice cream sandwiches, frozen peas, panko breaded chicken, half gallon milk, baby carrots, fresh cilantro, sliced apples, peanut butter filled pretzels, nut mix (pumpkin seed, almond & pine nut), whole grain rolls and a package of organic lollipops (sugar cane & fruit juice - no high fructose corn syrup)
In the Backpack:
2-pack celery hearts, 4-pack avacados, spring mix, and a 4-pack of white peaches. (Black bean & salsa salad with avacado & peaches tonight!)

I'm not likely to be braving Costco runs on my bike anytime soon, but I'm working my way up to shopping for everything except the bulk purchases this way.

Vacation: Unplugged

So. Was on vacation last week. Hiking, swimming, rafting, horseback riding and floating lazily downstream on the Broad River. Four generations in one house. Plus four dogs, two of which were puppies. Tons of grilling and sunshine.

No internet. Sporadic phone signal.

Was fantastic.

Not at first, as I reached for the computer every time I had a question about the weather, or wanted to look up the closest riding stable, or needed to know precise cooking instructions for dinner.

After a day or two, I didn't even think about it. The computer was turned on long enough to empty photos off the camera. I made a phone call to get directions to the stables, and wound up taking a longer, but more scenic route to get there. My folks became a resource for working a gas grill; and taught me how to BBQ instead of just grill. I can now manage the slow cooked, smoky BBQ chicken.

The kids accepted the television being permanently on either History or Discovery Channel for Grandpa, and started playing board & card games by the open window, while we listened to the sound of the river. Without the possibility of catching up on work or browsing the web, I read... a whole book. And slept for eight or more hours most nights.

Was a fabulous week, and I'm glad to be back at home now with my three children and [only] one dog. And my bike. I did miss Bloo.

Two-wheeled Timesaver

I've been riding my hybrid (commuter) bike to and from Trader Joe's for smaller grocery trips for about a year now. The route I take is 2.5 miles, round trip. I have a basket mounted to the front post/handlebars which holds a TJ's shopping bag (reusable) snugly on the the ride home. It takes about 35 mins, including the shopping. When I'm on my road bike, groceries in backpack, about 30 mins.

I didn't think I could make a car trip much faster, so I've been testing. Using the slightly longer route I take in the car, I've been timing the last few trips. I limited myself to the one shopping bag of goods when in the truck, just so I didn't throw the time off by spending more time perusing the aisles of goodies. As of today's trip, I have three to five trips of each transport, so here's the round-up:

3 miles, 1 bag (or backpack) of groceries.
Hybrid: 33-37 mins.*
Road: 30-35 mins.
Truck: 35-42 mins.*
*Longest trip times were Saturdays, when traffic was great, but store/parking lot was packed.

That's right. Taking the truck is slower than bike. It's not the time on the road, since the car is faster than my pedaling. I don't do anything crazy at intersections, either. I wait at the red lights, just like everyone else.

The time saved is the time I do NOT spend engaged in the parking lot shuffle. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods both have the typical congestion you'd find at any strip mall. Especially around lunch. On the bike, straight down the aisle, hop off at the sidewalk, walk the bike over to the cart return and chain. Takes a minute or two.
Same thing when I'm on the way home.

I'm really glad to know this. No more excuses about not having time to exercise.

Wait. I just took away my last excuse.

Running Errands

Just ended a phone call with "I'll get back to you on this site plan later this morning; gotta run to the bank."

Funny thing is, I am running to the bank.

Wow. My life has changed.

Skirts - Day 3

Between cleaning, wrapping presents and kid wrangling, I have a bunch of climbing around to do, so I'm wearing jeans today, which I'll cover separately. I came across this picture of one of my "keeper skirts. It's a silk box-pleat skirt from Gap, purchased about 5 years ago. Was originally a size 14, but has been cut down as I've shrunk, first to an approximate 8, then to a size 4 equivalent. I do wear this some during warm spells in winter, but it's really only a 3-season item. Very lightweight.

The top photo highlights the cardigan more than the skirt, so I'll just have to tell you that it hits just below knee. Red canvas flats went with it this summer. (ooh! I have a photo!) Have red heels or black mary janes that I wear for spring/fall, or where I need to be less casual then canvas.

Skirts - Day 2

This is a year round staple. Gap khaki skirt, picked up at the thrift store for $2.99. Had to fix a section of the hem. Took about 10 minutes, no big deal.

I realized when looking at the full length photo that it's time to replace my knit shirts with the next size down. The larges are too baggy, and are adding a visual 5-10 pounds. I'm not obsessive about my weight, just about not looking "frumpy". Will have to hit Gap, Banana Republic & Old Navy sales after Christmas.

As for the argyle tights... what was I thinking, right? It's cold and rainy today, so I'm embracing the age-inappropriateness of them. Sometimes you just have to.

Off to run errands now.

Skirts

Once I finished thinning out the number of dresses in my closet, I moved on to skirts. I've been struggling with this category, because there are several factor to consider before deciding on a particular number. The staples, such as the black pencil skirt and khaki A-line are easy. But, there are winter only skirts, such as this one.

It was picked up at a boutique in Decatur a year or so back. Kaleidescope, I think. It was on sale, but even that didn't bring the ticket price under $125. I actually came back the next day to make the purchase, after I had figured out where in my clothing & lunch money I could cut to keep in budget.

It's a heavyweight corduroy overskirt, with jersey and mesh layers underneath. It has beading detail on the outside, is dryclean only, and is something I am only comfortable in when the high temps are 50 degrees and lower, which is not that often in Georgia.

So, it's not terribly practical, it cost "too much", and it takes up valuable closet space. Do I get rid of it?

No. It may not be cold for long each winter, but when the temps are low, I wear it at least once a week. The combo of casual corduroy and the detailing gives me confidence that I will be neither over or underdressed at any winter gathering. Plus, it is a perfect outlet for the "girl" that's tucked away somewhere in my life as "mom".

So, criteria for skirts has been expanded to include the happiness factor. This will become very important in judging whether or not to keep some summer skirts.

I'll try to get a skirt photo each day for the next several days, as I work my way through the winter & all-season skirts. There are one or two which need to be cut down, so I'll have to hold off on those until after Christmas.

Slightly Smaller Wardrobe - Dresses

As I mentioned after thanksgiving, I'm in the middle of fall cleaning. Inspired in part by Rebecca's posts and her links to 34 pieces together, I'm purging my closet. I've been figuring out how long it's been since each item has been worn, trying outfit combos... it's taking a lot more time then I thought it would.
I have managed to complete one section of the closet - WooHoo! Six dresses gone. Two from 30-40 pounds ago, a couple I bought on a whim, and two that I must have been under the influence of cold medications while purchasing. No other explanation.

Here's what I'm keeping:


There was no doubt about this dress. I purchased it for a party just after the birth of my daughter six years ago, and have had it cut down twice to keep up with the shrinking me. I look good in this dress. Always have.
This is linen, but a very dense weave. Fully lined, so no messing about with slips and extra layers.
It's fine as is, or with a cardigan for half the year in the south. For winter, or to wear to work, I add a long or 3/4 sleeve shirt underneath. The shirts will crop up again in a later post, when I get to that portion of the wardrobe, but one is an ancient Arizona white shirt - from the juniors dept., and the other is the convertible camp shirt from Old Navy. I really like items like this pink shirt, where you get polished and casual in one piece, just by changing a button.











Faux-wrap dress, in black - H&M Makes getting dressed VERY easy.
I usually carry the red purse with this, just to keep from being too somber.















I picked this plaid dress up on the clearance rack at Target last month. It's fully lined, zips up the back, and is the only dress of this type of cut that doesn't make the kids in my daughter's 1st grade class ask if I'm having a baby. I wear it with either a long sleeve tee or a turtle neck and black tights with chunky mary janes or flats.

As a bonus, since I bought it for $7.99 (plus tax), the price per wear is down to $2, just in the first month of ownership.









I love this dress, either on it's own or tossed over jeans as a tunic. It may be leaving me in the next purge though, as this dress always leads someone to ask if I'm expecting.


And finally, a couple of 2-3 season dresses. Again, I'm in the south, so going sleeveless into October, and packing away all but the lightest sweaters by the end of March is normal:
It's going to take a few days to get the next segment of the wardrobe finished. I'm trying to cut down to just 2-3 each of Summer, Winter, and 4-Season skirts. I think I have it narrowed down, but haven't taken any photos yet. If you're wondering what I'm getting rid of, here's a sample of a whim dress (or maybe the cold-medicine shopping?):


It's a cute dress, and I love the polka dots.
When you combine the dot pattern with the length, the chunky white buttons and the puff sleeves, I look at this photo and think "mutton dressed as lamb."

Plus, now that I see the photo, the maroon turns my complexion to blotchy. Ick.

Fall Cleaning

Except for a brief bit of sunshine on Saturday, which allowed for a trip to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for a scavenger hunt with camera phones, the icky weather gave me the opportunity to do a bunch of clearing around the house.

Pulled outgrown clothes from kids' dressers and closets. Got photos finished and have made up my list - so I'm dropping off three paper bags of winter clothes at Goodwill later today. Woo Hoo!

Have noticed it's damn near impossible to get my daughter to part with anything. If it's worn out, then it's her favorite, and she wants to keep it because it's too sad to throw it away. If she's outgrown it, then she wants to keep it for her dolls. Ack! Have finally had to take a hard line - if she wants a replacement, then the old one has to go before we go shopping. It's working so far, but there are still tears shed over the sizes 4 & 5 that were put in the bag.

I also started on a complete purge of my wardrobe. Some of it was needed anyway, since I still have several 8s and 10s hanging at the back of the closet, and even a couple of 12s. After 2-1/2 years in size 6 and under, I think it's safe to let those go. I'm also weeding through and putting aside my favorite things, in preparation for taking a hard look at all the indifferent items. Anything that doesn't either serve a specific purpose or make me happy will be going. I was inspired by, among others, 34 pieces together, the blog of a young lady who made it a goal to do more, fabulously, with less. I don't know if I can get down to that small of a list, but figure that 40-45 pieces is a good target.

At some point, I need to figure out how to put a link list down the side. Maybe I can figure that out later this week. After all, I only have two maps going into the final production and proofing stage over the next two days, and sleep isn't that important, right?